


Exception

by nerdygiraffee



Category: B.A.P, Monsta X (Band), SF9 (Band)
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Detectives, M/M, Police, Robbery, Some Fluff, Superpowers, the ending is not really an ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-07 14:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 32,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19211002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdygiraffee/pseuds/nerdygiraffee
Summary: After going through an exceptional investigation for the chain of robbery cases with Jaeyoon, Inseong finally had courage to speak up.Jooheon knew what Minhyuk was doing was wrong, but his heart seemed to always make an exception for him every single time.Youngjae thought he was living a rather unexceptional life, except one day the unspoken truth ended his 15-year relationship with his first love, Daehyun.





	1. I. Superpowers?!

Kim Inseong tilted his mug towards himself and glanced over the rim, expecting coffee but was disappointed by the dark brown stain that circled around. He let the glass fall back onto the table and looked up from his laptop, stretching his stiff neck.

When he saw the empty gaming chair to the right side of his desk, he shouted, “Dawon! Where in the world did you go again?!” 

The sound of pounding footsteps grew progressively louder, until the door to the room flew open, revealing a cubby-cheeked man. He was DS* Lee Sanghyuk, but most people called him Dawon. He was wearing a casual button-up – but unbuttoned – shirt and jeans with two holes in the place of his knees. 

Inseong would say that the only attractive – or, rather, distracting – part of Dawon was his lilac-colored hair, which was quite the head-turner in their department. Of course, dying one’s hair with extravagant colors was definitely not considered formal attire that detectives were supposed to wear, but being good friends with a DCI** always had its benefits.

(*DS: Detective Sergeant  
**DCI: Detective Chief Inspector)

Very unfortunate for Inseong, he was paired up with this guy since he first got the job.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay here unless I told you otherwise?” Inseong chided.

“But, I was just going to the washroom-” 

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Inseong interrupted.

“I did!” A breeze came through the window, blowing a few strands of his hair into his eyes. He kept talking as if it didn’t bother him at all. “You even gave me permission when I asked.”

Inseong started to protest but his mouth hung open in midair, because he, in fact, did recall giving a nod of approval five minutes ago. He was just too preoccupied to pay enough attention.

He groaned at Dawon’s smirk and then said, with a sigh, “My fault. But where’s the coffee I asked for?”

“Nope. No more coffee for you. You already drank four cups today, and it’s barely lunchtime.” Dawon sauntered over to his seat and reached for his headphones, ready to start his daily gaming marathon.

“Acting all nice to me, but in reality that’s just your excuse for being lazy,” Inseong muttered, resolving to refill his own mug by himself. 

Before he could stand up, however, his partner said, “Do you mind buying lunch while you’re at it?”

“‘While I’m at it?’ You want me to extend my two-minute walk to the pantry to a 15 minute journey to the café?” The proposal just sounded too absurd and incredulous to the Chief Inspector.

“Oh, come on, Inseong. You’ve been working nonstop since…” Dawon looked up at the ceiling as if counting the days. “Forever. I can’t even count the number of all-nighters you pulled continuously.”

Inseong sighed deeply.

“Go get some fresh air.” Dawon smiled, shooing his friend away.

Reluctantly, Inseong placed down the empty mug and left the station.

Just across the street, between a bookstore and a bakery, was the café where they frequently visited for a coffee in the morning or a quick meal during their short breaks.

As Inseong pushed the glass door open, the small yet jovial ting of the bell welcomed him. For the first time in hours, he felt his shoulders relax. Even the stress from tackling a tricky case seemed to relieve a little when he saw the familiar barista standing behind the counter.

“Hey, Inseong! Grabbing lunch?” The cheery young man put away the towel he was using to wipe the counter and greeted his frequent customer.

Inseong responded with a smile and nod, placing his hands on the counter as he scanned the menu on the back wall. His act was futile, though – he ordered the same thing every time anyways. “Just give me the usual, Youngjae.”

A small laugh escaped Youngjae’s mouth. “Of course.”

“You remember Dawon’s order, right?”

“How can I forget?” With lightning speed, Youngjae tapped on the touchscreen in front of him. 

“True, I bet no one other than him would ever request ice cream on top of a savory bagel.” 

Both of them chuckled.

“So, what drinks would you like?”

Inseong was prepared to blurt out his usual choice of latte plus two extra espresso shots when he was reminded of his partner’s warning from earlier.

“Just get the usual for Dawon. For me… I’d like something sweet.”

Youngjae cocked his head. “Today must be a special day, huh?”

They laughed again.

“Go take a seat while you wait. I’ll bring the food to you when it’s ready,” Youngjae said with a grin.

Inseong obliged and picked the seat he practically owned: the one beside the floor to ceiling window, where he could get a good view of the TV. 

Just in time, Inseong thought, for the afternoon news. The reporter, wearing a high ponytail, was sitting behind a desk with papers in her hands, and next to her was a photo of the Citibank in Sinsa-dong – the one that was most recently robbed.

“Wednesday night at nine forty-three p.m., a sudden rainstorm – previously undetected by the local weather observatory – attacked Seoul, causing flooding on the main streets of Sinsa-dong and forcing the shutdown of multiple services. When the bank reopened the next day, workers found that at least 4.3 million worth of cash and valuables were stolen. It is speculated that the robbery happened between ten to eleven p.m. The police have reason to believe that the infamous Storm Intruder, who is responsible for the chain of robbery and burglary cases that had happened the past year, is behind this.”

A year. It had already been a year!

Inseong turned away from the screen and muted the sounds by filling his mind with his own thoughts. About three months ago, his Superintendent built together a new special force just to hunt down this stupid criminal who only robbed banks when there was a storm – and hence, he was nicknamed ‘Storm Intruder’. Even Inseong, who was usually in charge of murder, had to join in.

But until now, they still made no progress.

The first case that Inseong came across when he first joined the force was back in late January. It happened shortly after a snowstorm, when the snow was so thick you couldn’t even open the doors. 

He remembered every detail like the back of his hand.

The bank’s CCTV only went down for 10 minutes before the backup system came up. It sounded a lot of time for someone to rob a place, but Inseong now found out it wasn’t true. 

After simultaneously knocking out all security guards and disrupting the CCTVs in the surveillance room, the robber would have to run back to the vault, which would take around 3 minutes considering the time wasted on the stairs or in elevators. Then – assuming they already stole the key somewhere – they would head to the vault room. But the vault itself is locked.

Naturally, the next step was to hack that open as well. Again, assuming they had the authorization code for the computers beforehand. Using the computer, the criminal would be able to mess with the system that controlled the vault as well as the key box, which contained the keys for the individual safes inside the vault.

According to experts, that would take at least 6 minutes. And that’s if they were experienced hackers. Like, really experienced.

That gives them one minute to steal everything inside, put everything back to normal (because they never leaved any trace of intruding in previous cases), and leave the premises.

Impossible.

Unless, they weren’t on their own. Two or three people working as a team made it sound more plausible, but here was the catch: when police arrived the scene that day, there was only one set of footprints on the snow.

And that had bothered Inseong ever since. 

“There you go.”

The detective jumped at the sudden voice, almost knocking over the potted plant standing by his foot.

“Whoa, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you like that.” It turned out to be Youngjae, holding a paper bag with Inseong’s order inside. “Something on your mind?”

“Just thinking about some work stuff…” Inseong gave the barista a weary smile. “How much for all the food?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” With an angelic smile, Youngjae pushed the bag into his customer’s hands. “My treat.”

Inseong was about to turn down the overly generous offer when his phone rang. Youngjae used it as an opportunity to leave, giving Inseong a quick wave before going back to work.

The caller ID read Dawon. 

Before Inseong could even say anything, a bubbly voice blasted through his ears. “Inseong! Someone came!”

“What?” Inseong frowned, bemused. 

“He said he has something to say that may help with the investigation. He’s a witness!”

“Are you sure?” Inseong was skeptical. They would have known if there was anyone in the vicinity who could be of any help. However, despite all the odds of solving this yearlong mystery, he still allowed that tiny bit of hope deep inside of him to grow, even if it was just a little.

“Don’t you remember? Superintendent went on the news recently, and he also appeared on that new TV show about crime.”

“So?” Inseong still didn’t see the connection.

“Well, if the guy who came really is a witness, maybe he doesn’t live around the area so we didn’t get to question him yesterday.” There was a pause, and Inseong heard a muffled voice in the background. Must be the so-called witness. “Look, just come over. This could be our only lead. The robbery was only two days ago, we should do this while it’s still fresh.”

Inseong let out a long exhale. 

“Come on! He’s leaving!”

“Alright, alright! I’m coming!” Inseong hung up and rushed for the exit, almost colliding with a black-haired male on the way.

By the time he arrived his force’s cramped office area, he was panting slightly, and a bunch of lilac hair was waiting for him.

Inseong quickly put their lunch into the mini fridge and, with a lowered voice, asked, “You got a background of him yet?”

Dawon nodded, flipping a small notepad in his hands. “Just the basics. Name. Age. Job. Address. I was right: he lives nowhere near Sinsa-dong. Also, he’s clean. I was waiting for you before we start asking him questions regarding the investigation.”

Inseong placed down his lunch on his desk. He adjusted his necktie – because he actually wears a suit to work, unlike a certain someone – and fixed his bangs to look more professional.

The detective approached the seating area, and he caught himself giving the man who was sitting on the couch an appreciative perusal. Mr. Lee Jaeyoon was the most beautiful man Inseong had ever seen, with big, doe eyes and soft, plump lips.

Somewhere far away, Dawon cleared his throat, pulling Inseong back to reality. He stuck his hand out for a handshake, and Jaeyoon stood up. “Detective Chief Inspector Kim Inseong. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“No worries, it is lunchtime, after all.” Jaeyoon replied with a cordial smile on his face, revealing two impeccable dimples on either side of his cheeks. 

Inseong felt his heart pounding against his chest like horseshoes on the field, and he had a feeling it wasn’t just because of the run to the police station earlier.

All of them sat down: the Detectives and the visitor sitting opposite of each other.

“I was told that you are a witness for the bank robbery that happened two days ago, in Sinsa-dong. Is that right, Mr. Lee?” Inseong switched on his Detective Mode, taking out a notepad and a pen.

“Well, um. Yes.” Jaeyoon shifted in his seat, as if he were feeling uncomfortable. His eyes flickered to the floor and then back again, in one swift motion that was almost imperceptible. 

Inseong noticed it, but decided to brush it off. “If you are a witness, why didn’t you find the police earlier?”

“I…” Jaeyoon paused, glancing at Dawon but putting his attention back on Inseong. “I wasn’t there when it happened.”

The Detectives were dumbfounded. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. You said you are a witness! If you weren’t there, how can you possibly witness-”

Inseong stopped himself. He was being rude. And officers weren’t supposed to be rude. 

“Do you mind explaining… yourself?” Dawon spoke up.

Jaeyoon blew out a breath and looked down at his fingers on his lap. 

Instead of answering the question directly, he started describing what he claimed he saw. “Storm Intruder is one person. A young male adult. He can hack things in merely seconds. I saw him first in the surveillance room, where he shut down all the CCTVs. And then in the vault: all he had to do was stand in front of the vault door, will it to unlock, and he was already inside.” 

For a while, the room remained silent. Jaeyoon bit his lip and dared himself to look up at the detectives.

“Did you just say he willed it to unlock?” Inseong almost laughed at the incredulity. 

“You don’t believe me, do you.” It didn’t even sound like a question, because Jaeyoon already knew the answer. He started to stand up.

“It’s up to me to decide whether I believe you or not.” Inseong said immediately. He couldn’t let their only lead leave like this. He also didn’t want him to leave… yet.

Jaeyoon eased back down slowly. After a minute or two, he finally said, “What Strom Intruder has is called E-manipulation. He can control any device by just looking at it. I can see events of the past 20 minutes in a certain place. That’s why I said I wasn’t there when the robbery happened; I only went to Citibank after the criminal left, and ‘re-watched’ his robbery.”

The room plunged into dead silence again. Dawon turned to look at Inseong with a look of utter astonishment. But the latter seemed perplexed.

“What are you talking about?” The DCI sounded just a tad bit exasperated. He refused to believe that all that talk was for nothing, that this so called ‘lead’ was nothing other than a messed-up misunderstanding, and most of all, this wonderful man who had fallen in front of him merely minutes ago was nothing but a joke.

“Superpowers.” He barely whispered.

“What?”

Jaeyoon raised his voice. “I said, those are superpowers we possess.”  
.  
.  
.  
“What?”


	2. II. He Lied?

Someone from the other side was running towards him, and if it weren’t for his fast reflexes, Daehyun would’ve had to say goodbye to his pretty face and slam into the glass door that was flying open.

He looked over his shoulder to see a man holding a paper bag printed with the insignia of the café dashing across the street towards the police station. 

Any other day, this ‘near-collision’ would’ve put Daehyun into a bad mood, but today he was feeling exceptionally cheery for no reason at all.

The bell ting-ed as he stepped into the tantalizing aroma of coffee beans and the soft whirr of espresso machines, the sight of pastries on display making him feel hungry. 

The café was starting to fill up with customers for lunchtime, so Daehyun waited patiently for Youngjae to finish putting in all the orders before talking. “Did you see that? I almost broke my nose!” 

Youngjae raised an eyebrow and started untying his apron. 

“Just now, when I was coming in, another guy was rushing out, y’know? He almost hit me with the door! It’s such a pity you missed it: you should’ve seen my sick move of sidestepping and bending my body backwards like a freakin’ gymnastic pro!” Youngjae silently watched as his friend gesticulated enthusiastically, obviously exaggerating the truth. 

But that was what Youngjae liked about him.

When Daehyun was finally out of breath, Youngjae chuckled. “You must be hungry now, shall we go?”

“Yes, let’s go. I’m starving to death.”

Youngjae rolled his eyes. “You always are.”

Before they left, the barista made sure that one of his part-time subordinates helped fill in his post while he went out for lunch with his date.

No, goddammit, Yoo Youngjae. He’s not your date. Stop dreaming!

“Hey, are you okay? Your face is red.” They were already heading towards the ramen shop just two blocks down the road when Daehyun spoke.

“What?” Youngjae’s eyes widened from embarrassment. “N- nothing.” He cleared his throat, trying his best to change the subject. “So, you said they sell the world’s best ramen?”

“Yes! It’s so good I can’t explain it in words. You just have to try it yourself. Oh, and their pork is delicious, too…” 

Daehyun started trailing off, and Youngjae sighed in relief. Whenever you want to distract him, just talk about food.

Soon, they arrived the restaurant. Daehyun was a frequent visitor, so he already made his choice while Youngjae was still studying the menu. 

When Youngjae finally placed down the menu, he found his friend staring at him with a concentrated expression. Neither of them said anything for a long while, and Youngjae was starting to feel uncomfortable under Daehyun’s gaze. He gulped self-consciously, and felt his body heat up unwillingly.

“Hey, Youngjae…” Finally, Daehyun broke the silence. “You dyed added some light brown highlights to your hair, right?”

For a second, Youngjae faltered at his sudden comment. Then, Youngjae felt the slightest hint of happiness blooming inside his heart, knowing that his crush was actually paying attention to him. “Uh... yeah. I did it yesterday but most of it should’ve washed away when I took a shower… how did you notice?”

“Hmmm. You look good with it.” 

Youngjae’s smile was so big his jaws hurt. 

They ate in silence, well, except for the loud slurping noises coming from Daehyun. When their bowls were empty, Daehyun called for a waiter to serve the dessert: cheesecake.

“I leave work early today, do you want to go somewhere?” Youngjae was fidgeting with the napkin on the table, even though they practically hang out with each other everyday ever since they became best friends 15 years ago.

And being friends for half their lives was also the reason why Youngjae saw the change in Daehyun’s face, however subtle it was.

“Ah… I promised we’d go to that music festival tonight, didn’t I?” Daehyun bit his lip sheepishly, but kept his eye contact with Youngjae. 

“Did something come up?” Youngjae forced himself to not look disappointed.

“Yea…” Daehyun looked down at the table briefly, then back up again immediately, as if he just thought of something. “My aunt is coming to visit us, and my mom wants me to spend time with her.”

“I see. That’s right, you should spend more time with your family.” The smile faded into no more than a curve of the lips, but Youngjae still tried to sound happy for the sake of his friend. “I’ll just find someone else to go with me.”

Daehyun felt a wave of guilt rush into his stomach, making him feel sick. He saw Youngjae look out the window and followed his gaze to realize that the sky darkened slightly, as if it was about to rain. Panic rose inside of Daehyun, and he shut his eyes momentarily to get ahold of his emotions. When he opened them again, the sky was back to normal and the sun was shining like nothing happened.

“I’m sorry…” After taking a deep breath, he reached out and ruffled Youngjae’s hair in attempt to cheer him up. He mustered out a big smile and said, “I’ll bring you to the amusement park tomorrow!”

Youngjae was so taken aback by that suggestion that – fortunately for Daehyun – he seemingly failed to notice the weird change of weather that happened outside the window just seconds ago.

“Are you for real? The tickets are so expensive nowadays.” 

“Of course! My cousin works there, he can give us a discount.” Daehyun grinned, even though he was just lying to make Youngjae feel better.

And it worked, because Youngjae’s spirits lifted, and his angelic smile returned to his face. Just what Daehyun wanted.

At the same time, a waiter approached them with two full trays on his hands. One of them held the cheesecakes that they ordered, while the other was filled with different drinks.

Obviously, this caused a weight discrepancy, and when the waiter tried to put down the plate of desserts on Youngjae and Daehyun’s table, he lost his balance and the whole tray of drinks slipped out of his hands.

“I’m so sorry!” The tall waiter bowed down ninety degrees to Daehyun, whose jacket was soaked in orange juice. Luckily, none of the hot drinks spilled on him.

“It’s fine,” Daehyun said as he stood up and tried to wipe away as much of the stickiness as he could with the wet wipes he found on the table. “I think you should clean up the floor first.”

The waiter obliged and went to grab a mop. 

Meanwhile, Youngjae stared at the large orange stain on his friend’s light blue jacket, feeling just a little bit annoyed. “Are you okay? Can’t believe that waiter just- ugh, does he even know how to do his job properly?”

Daehyun laughed, already leaving his seat. “Calm down, I can just take my jacket off. I’ll head to the washroom to wash it off.”

Youngjae watched him leave just as the waiter came back with a mop. His nameplate wrote ‘Junhong’. Junhong apologized again before he started cleaning the floor. Youngjae glared daggers at him, and didn’t stop until a phone started ringing.

It was the one on the table: Daehyun left it behind. The caller ID read Minhyuk. Youngjae didn’t recognize it; neither did he hear Daehyun mention that name before. 

Must be one of his colleagues.

This colleague called for three times before giving up. Then, the phone vibrated vigorously, indicating an influx of messages by the same person. 

All Youngjae wanted to do was to mute the phone, but the all-capitalized message on the screen caught his attention.

 **Minhyuk**  
JUNG DAEHYUN, WHY ARENT U ANSWERING

 **Minhyuk**  
Anyway

 **Minhyuk**  
Jooheonie’s sick

 **Minhyuk**  
But u shld still come

 **Minhyuk**  
We have to talk

 **Minhyuk**  
Rmb, 4 at ur place

 **Minhyuk**  
Then afterwards we go visit Jooheonie

 **Minhyuk**  
So dont be late

Youngjae’s heart dropped. Something wasn’t right. Didn’t Dae say he had to spend time with his aunt tonight? Minhyuk doesn’t sound like his aunt… Neither does ‘Jooheonie’. 

Daehyun would be back anytime soon. Youngjae switched the screen off and put the phone back to where it was. Maybe he was thinking too much. But the questions didn’t stop coming.

_Could it be… is he dating?? No! Dae would’ve told me. Plus, that Minhyuk guy didn’t sound like a boyfriend. Maybe he’s a cousin. His aunt’s son, who will also be visiting tonight. That has to be it._

“I’m back! Turns out it was quite easy to wash off, haha.” Daehyun sat back down. “I paid the bill as well, so if you… oh. You didn’t have to wait for me.” He indicated the untouched cheesecake on the table.

“Youngjae?”

Youngjae snapped back to reality. He ignored Daehyun’s concerned look and decided to just ask him. “Does your aunt have a son?”

Daehyun looked confused for a second, but then he caught up. “Oh, no. It’s just my aunt tonight.”

_Then who is Minhyuk?? Youngjae had to stop himself from asking._

“Why did you ask?”

“No reason…” Youngjae couldn’t hide his frown.

There was an awkward silence between them while they finished their dessert. When they finally parted ways, Younjae was still unable to shake off that weird feeling in his stomach.

_Why did he lie to me?_


	3. III. Superhero

Jooheon opened his eyes suddenly. Not because he had a nightmare, and not because something woke him up, either. There was pin-drop silence in his apartment, and he lived on the fortieth floor – too high up to be disturbed by traffic.

Sitting up on his sofa, he knuckled his eyes, even though he was wide-awake – this happened too often nowadays, where he would wake up abruptly at least thrice a night, with no apparent reason at all. 

He’d like to brush it off with the excuse of drinking one too many cups of coffee everyday, but whom was he kidding? He knew what the real culprit was: anxiety. 

He knew that one day the police would finally find out who Storm Intruder was. And by then, it would be too late to regret.

His phone buzzed on the coffee table in front of him. He stared at the caller ID – _Minhyuk-hyung_ –, slightly hesitant to pick it up. 

Before the device could slip off the edge, Jooheon finally resolved to answer the call.

“Hyung.” 

“Jooheonie!” The voice, as usual, was overly optimistic. It was also highly contagious, which Jooheon was glad for. “How’s your fever? Are you feeling better now?”

Before he could continue his rapid fire of questions, Jooheon spoke up. “My fever’s gone, and I’m feeling superb.”

That wasn’t a lie. Somehow, receiving someone’s undivided attention – especially from someone as special as Minhyuk – made even his deepest worries go away. Well, maybe not entirely, but at least he wasn’t moping anymore.

“Thank god, you’re fine. I was this close to going to your home, but I realized I might interrupt your nap, ‘cause you told me you took some pills this morning-“ Minhyuk cut off suddenly, and a gasp came through, loud enough to sound dramatic even for Jooheon, who was on the other side of the phone. “Oh lord, I just woke you up from your nap, did I?”

Jooheon guffawed, amazed at how naïve his hyung could be. “I was already awake before you called.”

Another dramatic phew came through the phone. “I’m still going to visit you, though, right after I speak to Daehyun. He’s probably on his way here.”

Jooheon sat up straight at the mention of that name. No doubt Minhyuk was going to brief their third partner about the next mission. If Jooheon wanted to come clear with his hyung about how he wished to stop his… _unlawful act_ and how he wished to resign from this… _method of living_ , this was his chance-

“That’s right, did you drink the soup I got for you yesterday? You better did, ‘cause I spent so much time preparing it—you have no idea. I’m just worried about you… should I just bring you to the doc? Yeah, let’s do that. I hate to see you suffer. I care about you the most!! Can’t have you locked in your home while others get to enjoy the sunshine.” Then he stopped for a split second to catch his breath. “Jooheon, are you listening?” 

Well, too late to mention that now, Jooheon thought. “I heard you. But did you forget? I said I’m feeling superb.”

“But you don’t sound that superb at all.” You didn’t have to see Minhyuk to know that he was pouting. Jooheon felt guilty all of a sudden, knowing that his hyung was trying so hard to make him feel happy when he, on the other hand, was acting like a party pooper.

“I promise, hyung. I-“ Jooheon sighed, running his fingers through his tangled black hair. “Honestly, I wasn’t feeling the best before you called. But now…” His face started to heat up at what he was about to say. Before he could stop himself, however, the words already spilled out like an overfilled water bottle. “Hearing your voice was enough to cheer me up.”

There was a silence, and Jooheon felt his cheeks growing red. Although no one was there to see, he still buried his face into one of the cushions. 

Little did he know, a particular someone was also doing the same thing (plus a little more screaming and making sounds like a dolphin).

Finally, Minhyuk regained enough of his composure to break the somewhat-awkward-but-also-loving atmosphere hanging between them. “Jooheonie… I’m very happy to hear that. But I gotta go now. Daehyun just texted me and said he’ll arrive soon. If you need anything, even if it’s as simple as a few words, just call me. 

“I’d do anything to see you smile. You know that.”

And Jooheon did. He believed him then, when he was all alone on the streets, abandoned by the orphanage because of his “condition”. Minhyuk was the only one who was brave – no, friendly – enough to touch him, to hold his hand and shake it. He was the only one who admired his powers instead of being scared of them; who guided him to make use of his gift to help others; who truly made Jooheon feel like a superhero. 

He also believed him now, because to Jooheon, Minhyuk is the real superhero. His superhero. 

-

Minhyuk swiped his car keys off the table and turned to Daehyun. “Before we leave, promise me three things: one, stop being late; two, whatever we said earlier stays in this room; three-“

“’Three, stay focused when I’m using my powers.’” Daehyun sighed and rolled his eyes. During the time he worked for Minhyuk, he gradually found it ridiculous to repeat those rules every single time after a briefing. “Can I ask what the point of doing-“

“Let’s add Promise Four: don’t interrupt me when I’m talking.” Minhyuk had a finger in the air, and Daehyun just stared at him with an exasperated expression.

_What, does he have the mental age of a kid?_

With nothing else to say, Minhyuk opened the door and headed to visit his ill Jooheon. He didn’t even look back to see if his companion is following.

Daehyun was glad he brought his jacket when they approached the front entrance of the apartment complex. Chilly spring air rushed in through the glass double doors as two other men came in with mirroring looks of urgency and… determination.

“I wonder who they are,” Minhyuk says as soon as the doors closed behind them. “I’ve never seen them before.”

Daehyun looked over his shoulder and watched them disappear into one of the elevators. “Maybe they’re estate agents,” he said when he turned back, and Minhyuk shrugged dismissively. 

Jooheon’s home was within walking distance from Daehyun’s. Although Daehyun only visited him once or twice, he knew they would arrive after one turn just up ahead. “Should we buy some food before we go up?”

Minhyuk halted. “You seriously only talk about food, do you?” When Daehyun smiled sheepishly, he sighed. “Alright, let’s head to a convenience store before we go.”

So they backtracked, and went onto the main street, where it was filled with people. Only a few steps away from the store, Daehyun’s phone rang. He glanced at Minhyuk apologetically and they retreated to the side of the pavement so they wouldn’t block the flow of pedestrians.

“Hello?” 

“Daehyun.” Youngjae’s voice was small and tentative. 

Daehyun was surprised – he never expected Youngjae. He tried to sound natural. “Hey, what’s up? Are you heading to the music festival?”

“Yes.” The answer lacked the usual excitement, and Daehyun could tell his friend wasn’t smiling, which was… unusual. “Are you having a great time with your aunt?”

There was a long pause as Daehyun tried to decipher the tone. He sounded… hopeful. “Yeah, her cooking’s awesome!” In the meantime, Minhyuk had his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking impatient. But Daehyun turned away, ignoring him. “Youngjae… do you have something to tell me?”

For a while, there were only breathing noises coming through the phone. Then, more sounds started to surface. The ticking of traffic lights. The zooming of cars. The chatter of people. 

In a crowded street. 

Daehyun pushed through the people and looked around frantically. His eyes darted around desperately, not sure what he was looking for until he saw it: Youngjae’s shiny pupils stared straight back at him from the opposite side of the road.

“Wait, Youngjae!-“ Daehyun shouted, already heading towards his best friend, but the line was already dead.

At that moment, he really hated himself for lying.


	4. IV. Test

4 hours ago.

Jaeyoon raised his voice. “I said, those are superpowers we possess.”

.

.

.

“What?”

Jaeyoon suppressed his urge to stand up and leave. He knew this was going to end like the way it did every time: he would be told that the police would contact him as soon as possible, then he would be sent home, and in the end no one would ever call him again.

Inseong’s face was of utter incredulity, while Dawon’s eyes widened by a degree and were sparkling. Maybe Jaeyoon was amused by the latter’s reaction, and that was why he decided to stay.

“So, are you saying you have the ability to see the past?” Inseong’s struggle to form words didn’t go unnoticed to Dawon, so he grasped the opportunity to do the talking.

Jaeyoon glanced at the higher-ranked detective, hoping to garner some sort of reaction from him. But Inseong was expressionless, so Jaeyoon turned back to Dawon almost disappointingly. “We can do a small test.”

“Test?”

“Well, I always find myself in this kind of situation where I have to prove myself to others.” Jaeyoon shrugged.

“Let’s hear it.” Inseong finally spoke up, grabbing all of Jaeyoon’s attention.

“I’ll leave the room for twenty minutes and you can do whatever you want in this room.” Jaeyoon looked around the messy office. “When I come back in, I’ll re-watch everything that happened and re-tell the events. To make this reliable, you shouldn’t change the appearance of the room, because then anyone can deduce what you did.”

The detectives took a few seconds to let the information sink in. When it did, both of them nodded, deciding that it was the best way to see Jaeyoon’s ‘powers’ in play.

“I have a question.” Dawon raised his hand up like a student. “How do we know that you’re actually seeing the past? We can’t rule out the possibility that you have X-ray vision instead and can totally just watch us through the walls.”

Inseong shot him a warning look, but Jaeyoon didn’t seem to care about the rude accusation. “First, there’s really no reason why I would lie about my real powers. Second… if you want, one of you can watch over me to make sure I don’t cheat when I leave the room.”

“I’ll do it,” Inseong said without hesitation, already standing up.

Jaeyoon watched the detective head for the door, slightly taken aback by the sudden eagerness. From the corner of his eye, he caught Dawon grinning so widely it was hardly going to be for a good reason.

He pushed himself off the couch and followed Inseong out the room. Even if he didn’t look back, something told him Dawon was waving them goodbye.

They didn’t stop once they went outside. Inseong led him past the workstations of other officers, their desk surfaces entirely covered by documents, forensic reports, and evidence photos.

There was this constant buzz of conversation in the background, accompanied by the occasional hum of printers.

“You guys look busy.” Jaeyoon said, hoping to start a conversation. After all, they had to be together for twenty minutes.

“Welcome to my life.” Inseong turned left abruptly, towards a hallway with dark sea-green chairs along the side. He sat down on the one closest to the aisle and gestured for Jaeyoon to do the same.

Just then, a young man wearing full uniform walked past, looking like he just graduated from police school. Jaeyoon recognized him as the officer who brought him to Inseong’s office in the first place. He peeked at the card hanging from his neck: Kang Chani.

Chani nodded at Inseong and gave Jaeyoon a quick smile, before he strode away hurriedly.

“He’s new here.” Inseong said as soon as Chani was out of sight. “The first day he was assigned to this station, he arrested his first criminal – a phone scammer who sucked at least 4 million from 20 different victims.”

“That’s impressive,” Jaeyoon replied with wide eyes. “How ‘bout you?”

Inseong turned his head to look at Jaeyoon with a confused expression. “Me?”

“I mean, any significant achievements?”

Inseong laughed. “I’m not nearly as significant as you’re imagining I am right now.”

“Well, you’re going to be once you solve this case.”

“What makes you think I can?”

“The fact that you believed in me already gives you an advantage.” Jaeyoon smirked, gaining a soft chuckle from Inseong. “By the way, I want to go to the washroom before we go back.”

So they both headed to the washroom, and while he was waiting for Jaeyoon, Inseong received a text from Dawon saying he was ready.

Once Inseong shut the office door behind him, Jaeyoon was already preparing himself. “Just a warning to you guys, my eyes change color when I’m using my powers.”

Dawon and Inseong exchanged looks, but weren’t surprised. After all, could their day get any weirder?

Jaeyoon stood at the back of the room, where he had the best view of everything in the office. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them, his pupils were electric blue.

Dawon pointed at them, his jaw dropped. If Inseong hadn’t covered his mouth for him, he would’ve shouted out loud.

For five silent minutes, it was just Jaeyoon looking around the room, presumably ‘watching’ the past events. The detectives had their eyes fixed on those mesmerizing blue orbs, only averting their gaze when the color started to fade and the original dark brown slowly came back.

“So, what did you see?” Inseong started towards Jaeyoon, while Dawon waited quietly, somewhat nervous. If Jaeyoon could really retell the past twenty minutes of Dawon’s life accurately, it would be rather… creepy.

Jaeyoon took a few moments, glancing back and forth between the two detectives. “Well, most of the time you were just watching YouTube videos, right?” Dawon nodded. “You typed in the search bar sf9 enough, and clicked into the third video of the second page of results.”

Inseong landed his gaze on his partner, awaiting his confirmation on whether Jaeyoon’s description was correct. Dawon was shocked, but he still managed to nod without looking like a dumbstruck fool.

“After ten minutes, you stood up and stretched. Then you went to take out your lunch from the paper bag.” Jaeyoon continued. “It took you only five minutes to finish your bagel, and after that…”

Not once did Dawon interrupt, and it was enough for Inseong to know that Jaeyoon’s powers were real. Once he let that information sink in, it really was mind-blowing.

In the meantime, Dawon started sweating. Jaeyoon hesitated, but eventually finished his sentence. “…you ended up eating Detective Kim’s lunch as well.”

It only took Inseong a few seconds to acknowledge what that meant, and when he did, he shot Dawon a death glare. “Are you kidding me?”

The DS laughed sheepishly.

Inseong sighed – he’d deal with this later. For now, he had to focus on his task at hand: questioning his one and only witness. Without telling him to do so, Jaeyoon already sat down on the couch automatically, as if he could read minds.

Wait, maybe he can. Inseong shivered at his own thought and tried his best to shake it off. Focus.

Fortunately, Jaeyoon was very cooperative and they finished the questioning in under half an hour.

“Thank you so much for your time, we really appreciate your help.” Inseong smiled widely while attempting not to look too happy when he shook hands with Jaeyoon again. “Please call us if you have any new discoveries.”

Jaeyoon took the business card from Inseong’s out stretched hand and returned his smile. “I’m glad that you – both of you – believed in me as well.”

“You aren’t leaving Seoul for a while, right?” Dawon asked. He knew Jaeyoon’s hometown was in Busan, and that he only came to Seoul a few years ago to work.

“Actually, I was meant to leave this weekend to visit my parents, but the trip was delayed.” Jaeyoon scratched the back of his head. “Plus, since I’m the only witness for this case, I’m guessing I should stay in the vicinity to assist in the investigation.”

Both detectives’ faces lit up. “That would be awesome,” Dawon said. “Where are you staying in the meantime?”

“I had a rental apartment, but I never renewed the contract, because their rent was too expensive. I thought I was leaving to Busan soon, so for the past few days I’ve just been staying in a hotel.”

Dawon gasped dramatically, and Inseong braced himself. “That’s not okay! If you continue to stay in the hotel, you’re going to go bankrupt!”

Inseong wanted to slap him, but instead just elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.

It didn’t work, because Dawon kept talking like nothing happened. “No worries, though. I have a great idea. You can totally stay at Inseong’s place for the time being.”

Jaeyoon’s eyes widened, and Inseong shouted, “Lee Sanghyuk, what did you just say?”

Dawon looked at his Detective Chief Inspector. “What? You barely even go home – most of the time you sleepover in the station anyways. Your rent will just go to waste. So this is a win-win situation. See? I’m just doing you a favor.”

“But-“ Inseong faltered. “I mean- why don’t you offer your own apartment-”

“No buts,” Dawon interrupted. “My place is way too messy, and you have a guest room.” He looked so confident with himself that Inseong had nothing else to say. “It’s settled, then. I still have to go buy you a lunch, so see you later!”

Then Dawon left the room without even waiting for Inseong to give him permission.

“Great.” Inseong rubbed his face with his hands as if he just woke up. In fact, he was trying to avoid Jaeyoon’s gaze, but it wasn’t easy when they were the only people in the room.

“To be honest-“

“Actually-“

The two of them spoke at the same time, and they chuckled embarrassedly. “You can talk first,” Jaeyoon said.

“I was trying to say, I really don’t mind… uh… Dawon did have a point there. I barely go home anyways. So I’m happy to lend it out to you for the time being.” Inseong loosened his tie to get more air as he spoke.

For some odd reason he couldn’t explain, Jaeyoon felt his face heat up.

At half past four, he found himself stepping into a Detective Chief Inspector’s two-bedroom apartment.


	5. V. Progress

From questioning Jaeyoon earlier, the detectives discovered that Storm Intruder went onto a private car after robbing the bank, arriving at what they speculated to be an accomplice’s flat.

Inseong looked at the address scrawled messily on his notepad. “This should be it,” he said to Dawon, who was already pushing open the glass doors of the apartment building.

As they went through, two other men were walking towards them. One of them was swinging a set of car keys around their index finger.

The security guard seemed to be out for a toilet break, so the detectives went straight up to the apartment.

After a few futile attempts of rapping at the door, Inseong reluctantly submitted to the fact that there was no one at home. “Let’s go.” When he saw his partner still idiotically knocking at the door, he rolled his eyes and pulled him away. “He’s probably still at work or something.”

“That’s true…” Dawon pressed the down button to summon the elevator. “Then what do we do now?”

“Go home.” A ding sounded and they slipped into the lift. “Try again tomorrow.”

“Really?” Dawon seemed skeptical. “You too?”

“What ‘me too’?” Inseong frowned at Dawon through the mirror on the inside of the lift’s doors. “You’re the one who said I’ve been working all-nighters for who-knows-how-many-days. So now I’m going to go home and sleep!”

There was another ding as they arrived L for Lobby.

Inseong noticed that a middle-aged man was now sitting behind the reception. “Let’s see whether this guy knows something.” He took his ID out as he approached and Dawon followed.

“Excuse me, we’re the police and we want to ask you about the tenant of Flat 14D.”

“Oh, yes, I remember him! He’s a really nice young man. Jo- no, Jung… Jung Daehyun, that’s his name.” The security guard peered at the computer screen, which was seemingly showing a list of all the residents.

“Then you must recall, two days ago on the thirteenth of April, Wednesday, whether or not someone came to visit him.” Inseong already had his notebook out and was flipping through the pages quickly. He settled on one that was filled up to every corner by messy scribbles. “Did anyone come in between the time period of ten to midnight?”

The man pursed his lips, exhaling loudly through his nose. “Honestly, I don’t have a great memory. Once in a while there’ll always be fresh faces coming in to visit the tenants here. There’s no way I can remember all of them.”

Inseong nodded and wrote something down on a blank page. Dawon scoured the lobby’s ceiling until he located a security camera blinking in the corner.

“Can we have the footage of that CCTV? Also, are there other individual cameras on each floor of the building?”

The security guard followed Dawon’s gaze. “Oh, of course. We have two on each floor, and they cover every spot. You want the one on floor 14?”

“Yes, thank you. Ten to twelve on 13th April.” Inseong repeated to make sure that the man wouldn’t forget.

Five minutes later, the detectives were walking out the door with a USB in their hands.

“You can take the car.” Inseong passed his car keys to Dawon and nodded towards the USB. “Look for any clues. Make sure to make a copy of it.”

“Looks like there’s no more ‘go home and sleep’ for me.” Dawon pocketed the two things with mocked irritation. “Where are you going then?”

“I want to stay for a bit to see if I can catch him coming home.”

“Don’t stay too late though, okay?”

Inseong raised a brow. “When have you ever cared so much about me?”

“Ha, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve always been a caring partner.” Dawon laughed and then left with a wave of his hand.

All alone now, Inseong resolved to sitting on one of the stone steps that led up to the entrance of the apartment building. He really didn’t know what to expect, especially when none of this was actually 100% credible to start with.

If what Jaeyoon said was true, then the stolen money should be hidden somewhere in the flat. Inseong winced at the uncertainty: should didn’t sound reassuring at all. But this was their only clue so far. He couldn’t let that slip.

Inseong was only ten minutes in when he saw a familiar face pass by in front of him. “Youngjae?”

The café owner paused at the mention of his name and turned his head towards the source. When he spotted Inseong, he averted his gaze immediately, as if afraid.

It was only for a split second, but Youngjae’s shiny eyes didn’t go unnoticed for the detective. He stood up and touched his friend’s arm to stop him from leaving.

“Youngjae,” Inseong repeated. “Is there something wrong?”

Even though no tears were falling, Youngjae still wiped at his face forcefully. With a strained smile, he finally looked directly at the detective. “Nothing. You don’t have to worry about me.” He gently moved Inseong’s hand away. “Did you solve whatever it was that was bothering you this afternoon?”

Inseong took a while to catch up with the change of subjects. He knew Youngjae was hiding something, but if he didn’t want to talk about it, then there was no reason for Inseong to push. “Much better now. In fact, we finally got a lead on our case.”

Youngjae’s smile widened to a more convincing one. “That’s good news! I’m sure you’ll catch the culprit soon.” For a while, he looked like he had already forgotten the reason why he was upset just a few minutes ago and was starting a casual conversation. “Are you out here for fieldwork?”

“Mhm.” Inseong jutted a thumb towards the building behind him. “Can’t tell you the details, but what we want is probably inside one of the apartments here.”

Youngjae craned his neck to look behind the detective’s broad shoulders. It took some time before he recognized what he was staring at, and the shock caused him to take a step back involuntarily.

This time there was no stopping Inseong. “What’s wrong? Do you know anyone who lives here?”

It was obvious that Youngjae tried to brush it off again, but his actions already gave everything away. He wetted his cracked lips under the golden rich sunset. “It’s probably irrelevant… but it just so happens that Daehyun – my best friend – lives in this building as well.”

The detective kept quiet for a moment, the gears in his brain turning. Judging by his reaction, there was something more to Youngjae’s story. But before Inseong could dive straight in, he had to test the waters.

“Did you see something, or someone, inside the building just now?”

“No, why?”

“You seemed shocked, so I thought you might’ve caught some suspicious act.” Inseong was aware of how Youngjae was growing progressively more uncomfortable every time he was asked a question, but Inseong couldn’t stop. “If that wasn’t the case… then what evoked that reaction from you?”

Youngjae tightened his grip on the backpack strap that was slung across his right shoulder. He was avoiding Inseong’s gaze again. Just when Inseong thought he was going to make up an excuse and leave, Youngjae spoke up, words coming out of his mouth so fast it didn’t seem like he was speaking in full sentences.

“It’s just a stupid thing I can’t get out of my head. Daehyun said his aunt was coming to visit him tonight, but just a few minutes ago I saw him walking on the streets with a guy I’ve never seen before. The worst thing is, when I called him to give him another chance to tell me the truth, I was forced to watch him lie right at my face.”

Inseong blinked twice at the sudden outburst of emotions from the barista whom he had only seen smile. On the surface, it definitely did sound like a casual misunderstanding between friends. But Inseong had a gut feeling that it wasn’t as simple.

In the end, he had decided to follow his gut. “Youngjae, does your friend live on the fourteenth flour?”

Youngjae snapped out of whatever reverie he was in when he heard the detective’s serious tone. “How did you know?”

“Fourteenth floor, flat D?” Inseong couldn’t hide his growing hope: he might finally be making progress.

Youngjae’s floundered. “H- how, why, I mean…” Then he understood, and tears started to well up again. “Are you, are you saying that-“

Inseong grabbed both of Youngjae’s shoulders. “We aren’t sure of anything yet, but for now, we have to keep an eye on him.”

The poor man trembled under the detective’s intense gaze, his tears threatening to fall. He was just indirectly informed that his best friend (and crush) might just be the heavily wanted robber whom the police had been chasing down for a year. What was he supposed to say?

Fortunately, his phone buzzed. It was Daehyun.

_I’m sorry_

_I’ll explain everything tomorrow_

_I mean, if you’re still up for it…_

Youngjae was gripping his phone so hard he didn’t realize Inseong was reading over his shoulder. “Up for what?”

“We planned to go to the amusement park tomorrow, but he knows I’m still mad at him…”

“You have to go,” Inseong interrupted. “If you pretend like everything’s fine, you can stay by his side and watch his every move.”

“You want me to spy on my friend?”

Inseong pursed his lips. “I’m sorry to say this, but it’s either you or me. If you turn him down, I’ll still have to follow him around all day.”

“Ok, I’ll go,” Youngjae said after a long moment. “Are you coming, too?”

“Well, yeah. Just at the periphery, so…” Inseong paused and slipped a glance at Youngjae’s teary face.

“So if anything does happen, you’ll still have backup.”


	6. VI. Robin Hood

“What happened to you?” was the first thing Jooheon asked Minhyuk, who showed up in front of the door soaking wet. “Wait here, I’ll grab a towel.”

While Minhyuk was scrubbing furiously at his face, Jooheon noticed someone was missing. “Wait… where’s Daehyun?”

“Why else do you think it started raining cats and dogs even though the weather report said it was going to be sunny?”

“You mean… he did this?” Jooheon went to the living room, pulled open the curtains and listened to the sound of rain hitting the glass, which wasn’t unlike the sound of pellets being hurled at the window.

Minhyuk started to say something but was interrupted by a sneeze, which caught Jooheon’s attention. “Did you catch a cold already?” He abandoned his spot at the window and rushed over. It was only then did he realize even Minhyuk’s clothes were drenched. “Take off your clothes already!”

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, it struck him that whatever he just said sounded really, really wrong. Both Jooheon and Minhyuk froze and watched each other’s face turn a deep shade of red. Then, at the same time, they turned their heads away and started mumbling all at once.

“Um, what I meant was-“

“Uh, maybe I should-“

The two of them locked gazes and laughed sheepishly. Jooheon felt his body heat up to an unbearable temperature, and he himself wanted to strip.

Finally, Minhyuk seemed to notice the awkward tension in the air and said, “If you don’t mind, may I borrow some clothes?”

“Oh, of course.” Jooheon cleared his throat. “Just go to the washroom first, I’ll bring you them.” Then he hurried off to his bedroom.

Minhyuk was peeling off his damp t-shirt when there was a knock on the door. He opened it a crack and a slightly chubby, smooth-skinned arm slipped in with a stack of garments clamped in its hand.

“Don’t worry, all of them are clean, and, um, the underwear is new.” Jooheon’s tender voice floated into the washroom. “I’ll prepare dinner after I wipe up the floor. So if you’d like you can take a shower.”

“You are my savior! I love you, Jooheonie!” Minhyuk shouted as he accepted the towel that Jooheon passed in after.

“You’re welcome, hyung,” said Jooheon. Although he probably heard Minhyuk say the same thing everyday, and he probably should’ve been used to the random showers of affection by now, he still felt the skin of his cheek warm up.

When Minhyuk stepped out of the steaming bathroom, the dining table was already filled with food.

Minhyuk placed down his empty bowl and chopsticks, rubbing his full stomach with satisfaction. He started to stand up and help with the dishes, but Jooheon made him sit back down. “Tell me, what happened to Daehyun?”

Minhyuk placed down the chopsticks he just picked up. “Before it started pouring, Daehyun was talking on the phone with Youngjae, who was coincidentally just on the opposite side of the road.” Jooheon’s eyelid twitched a little at the mention of that name, but Minhyuk didn’t notice. “I think Daehyun lied to him about eating dinner with his aunt or something, and then Youngjae ran away, disappointed, most likely.” He took a pause to drain the cup of water on the table. “Obviously, that love-struck fool ran after him and started wreaking havoc to the weather.” Unknowingly, he started strangling the empty cup in his hand.

Jooheon stayed quiet, watching his hyung grow more and more irritated as he spoke. After Minhyuk finished his second glass of water, Jooheon deemed it safe enough to talk. With extra caution, he asked in a small voice, “I hope you’re not mad at Daehyun…”

Minhyuk looked up and the muscles on his shoulders relaxed slightly when he heard Jooheon’s soft, almost scared, tone. He knew Daehyun was like a brother to Jooheon. “Of course not. I… I’m just a little… wary, that’s all.”

“Why?” He sounded so shocked it was almost like a cry.

It might be an illusion, but Minhyuk seemed to lean forward so he could stare deep into Jooheon’s eyes. “Jooheonie, I know Daehyun is your good friend, but we can’t let our guards down.” A shadow fell over his face. “You know he can easily sell us out and get away with it. Especially when he has an emotional tie with someone who’s not part of us – now he actually has a reason to spill the truth.”

Jooheon laced his fingers together on his lap and locked them so tight his knuckles turned white. He wanted to tell Minhyuk No, Daehyun wouldn’t betray us! and He’s our friend, how could you accuse him like that? but a small part of him actually agreed with Minhyuk.

The small conflict between his emotions didn’t go without a solution; in fact, Jooheon knew exactly what to do, what to say. “Hyung, listen. I- I’ve been wanting to propose this to you for a while now-“

Daehyun must have been feeling really upset just then, because suddenly a streak of lightning split the sky in half, momentarily washing the room with a blinding white light. Jooheon braced himself for the booming thunder that came a while later, but he still flinched when the deep roar reached his eardrums.

Minhyuk was waiting for Jooheon to finish his sentence, but the latter was losing his courage. Against the side of the wall by the television stood a row of certificates, marking Jooheon’s yearly donations to various orphanages in Korea. Whenever he watched TV, he would be reminded of his deed and the guilt, but he would also be able to convince himself that he was a hero.

“What did you want to say?” Minhyuk’s head was tilted, confused.

“N- never mind,” Jooheon replied hastily, stumbling over the word. He stood up so quickly his chair made a scream of protest against the floor, and he occupied himself with cleaning the table.

That night, Jooheon couldn’t sleep. The same memory replayed in his mind nonstop, like a faulty record player playing the same thing over and over again.

“Do you know who’s Robin Hood?” Ten-year-old Minhyuk pushed his feet off the ground so his side of the seesaw lifted him up to the air.

Jooheon descended to the ground, and when he looked up at his only friend, all he could see was the blinding sun peeking from behind Minhyuk’s silhouette. “I know, he’s the guy who steals from the rich and gives to the poor!”

Minhyuk laughed.

“I want to be like him when I grow up,” said Jooheon as he went up into the air. “So people will like me.”

“I’ll help you.” Minhyuk stepped off the plank.

“How?”

“With your powers, of course.”

“And then?”

Minhyuk reached his hand out to Jooheon, who was still sitting on the seesaw. “And then you’ll become everyone’s hero.”

Jooheon groaned and rolled over to his side so he could see the clock: 02:34. Minhyuk was staying over for the night due to the storm, and Jooheon could hear the creak of the bedframe when Minhyuk moved in the room next door.

This wouldn’t do, Jooheon thought to himself, and jumped out of bed. He decided to make himself a cup of warm tea.

The moment he stepped out of his bedroom, another round of thunder sounded, causing Jooheon’s hairs to stand on end. His head snapped up to the nearest light bulb in the apartment and it blinked on immediately. The same thing happened until the living room was as bright as morning, and Jooheon was finally brave enough to slip out.

The kettle switched on as soon as it came into Joohoen’s sight. While he was waiting, he noticed that the door to the guest room – where Minhyuk slept – was slightly ajar.

All Jooheon planned to do was to close it so no light could spill in and cause any disturbance, but as he approached the room, he heard Minhyuk shout.

Nightmares. That was Jooheon’s first thought, and he let himself into Minhyuk’s room. “Hyung,” he whispered. “Hyung, wake up.”

He tried shaking Minhyuk, but it only made his cries more prominent. Jooheon was starting to worry, he knew he was supposed to wake people up when they had nightmares, but he didn’t remember how.

“Hyung, wake up!” He repeated, louder this time.

Minhyuk’s eyebrows unknotted, and he stopped shouting. Jooheon sat down on the bed beside him, brushing away the loose strands of hair that were caught in his eyes. His forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and he started mumbling.

“J-joo…”

Jooheon’s eyes widened. He leaned down so his ear is right above Minhyuk’s mouth. “Hyung?”

“Jooheon…”

“Yes hyung, I’m here.” Jooheon gently stroked Minhyuk’s hair. “It’s fine, it’s just a dream… go back to sleep.”

Minhyuk continued muttering incoherent words, but the corners of his mouth turned upwards. Jooheon smiled and prepared to stand up.

Just one step forward and he already stopped. He looked back and saw Minhyuk’s hand on one of his wrists. He tried pulling it free, but he ended up heading back anyway.

He wasn’t sure whether it was the overwhelming fatigue or Minhyuk’s soft smile that persuaded him to climb onto the bed and fall asleep next to his hyung.

Soon, the room was silent except for the steady breathing of two men.


	7. VII. Lotte World

Jaeyoon knocked on Inseong’s bedroom door three times. “Detective? Are you awake? I made breakfast…”

He tried knocking harder, and when no reply came he started pressing his ear against the cold wood. The door must’ve been closed poorly, for it slid right open when Jaeyoon leaned towards it.

He peeked inside and spotted a bed that looked un-slept in. It was definitely an invasion of privacy, but Jaeyoon pushed the door open wider and allowed himself to enter the room.

There was a small light coming from the corner that attracted Jaeyoon’s attention. Next to a wardrobe stood a desk, on which lied a sleeping Inseong. Photos of crime scenes and pages of reports were tucked safely under his head and arms. Jaeyoon approached him carefully, wondering how much sleep the detective could have possible got if he didn’t even bother to change out of his clothes from the day before.

Jaeyoon placed a tentative hand on Inseong’s shoulder and almost immediately the detective stirred, his eyelids fluttering open like a butterfly’s wings.

If Inseong was surprised at the presence of Jaeyoon in his room, he didn’t show it. “Oh, hey, good morning,” he said while rubbing his eyes and stretching out the knots in his neck.

“I didn’t mean to wake you, detective, but, um, I heard you have something to do today.”

Jaeyoon watched Inseong’s face turn from bewilderment to delayed shock. “Oh no, you’re right. What, what time is it?” Inseong pushed a hand through his disheveled hair, looking very dismayed.

He started digging into his closet for a set of new clothes and attempted to rush to the bathroom, but Jaeyoon stood in his path. “Don’t worry, I woke you up early. It’s only seven.”

Inseong’s whole body seemed to sigh as he collapsed onto the clean bed. And then, just as quickly, he sat up again and reached for his phone.

Dawon picked up on the first ring. “Hey, I was just about to call you-“

“Good, at least you’re awake.”

“No, that’s the thing: I can’t go with you to the amusement park today. I have a really bad fever.”

“Yeah, Dawon. I’m not falling for that.” Inseong rolled his eyes. “If you had a fever, you wouldn’t be awake.”

“I’m not lying! Here-“ There was a short pause. “Check my message.”

Inseong removed the phone from his ear and opened up the chat. A selfie of Dawon looking ‘sick’ (ice pack on forehead, thermometer in his mouth) stared back at him.

“You’re not getting away with this, Dawon.” Inseong spoke into the phone again only to realize Dawon had already hung up when he was busy looking at the photo.

Inseong groaned as his phone started buzzing again.

**Dawon**

_Sorry man._

_Cant help it._

_You should go with Jaeyoon tho. I bet he’d agree to it._

_Oh, as for the CCTV, I think I spotted the guy_

_But you cant rly see his face :(_

_I’ll send you the photos_

“Ah, sorry to interrupt…” Jaeyoon noticed Inseong’s frown. “Detective?”

“Oh, sorry.” Inseong looked up from the blurry screenshots of the camera footage and pocketed his phone, deciding that this task was for another time. “Breakfast, right?”

Inseong stuffed his face with the softest omelet he ever tasted in his life and wondered how he should request Jaeyoon to go to the amusement park with him.

“Does it taste… alright?” When their plates were empty, Jaeyoon asked.

“Are you kidding? You have no idea what I was eating before you came. It was delicious.” Jaeyoon blushed slightly at the compliment and Inseong smiled. “By the way… my colleague is unwell, so I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me today instead?”

“Me? I’m just a-“ Jaeyoon wanted to say “normal”, but realized that word wasn’t used to describe someone with superpowers. “I mean, what help would I be to a detective…?”

Inseong fished out his phone and pulled up the photos he was studying earlier. “Look, is this who you saw that night?”

Even in the grainy, pixelated photo, Jaeyoon recognized that hooded man and the sports bag – probably filled with money – in his hands. He nodded frantically and said, “Yes, that’s him. Although I can’t see his face, I know that has to be him. But how does this answer my question…?”

“You said he went up to flat 14D.” Jaeyoon nodded again. “The owner of that flat is the person I – we – have to spy on today.” Inseong stood up, not knowing where his sudden boldness came from. “So let’s go now, before we’re late.”

“Go where?”

“The amusement park.”

-

Youngjae bit his lip nervously and jumped up every time he saw a car enter the parking lot, thinking it was the detective. There was only half an hour left before Daehyun would come, and after what he learnt yesterday night…

His phone buzzed, cutting out his thoughts. “Inseong!”

“We’re almost there, has Daehyun arrived yet?”

“No, but he always arrives early on our…” Youngjae almost said “dates”, but stopped himself. “Anyway, you should come as quick as possible.”

“Don’t worry, I’m already parking my car. See you at the park entrance?”

“Okay.”

It had only been two minutes since Youngjae arrived under the giant sign “Lotte World” when he saw two distant figures running towards him. One of them he recognized as Inseong, but the other one trailing behind the detective with ink black hair was a stranger to him.

“Hey,” Inseong said, slightly out of breath. “This is Jaeyoon, and, well, let’s just say he’s my partner Sanghyuk’s replacement for today.”

Jaeyoon gave him a soft smile, showing both dimples, and took one hand out from his pocket to shake with Youngjae.

“Well, I guess we better get out of sight before Daehyun comes and starts questioning us. Remember, just act natural, and we’ll be keeping our eyes on you two. If anything happens, I’ll text you, so make sure to check your phone.” Inseong rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt, unknowingly attracting attention from schoolgirls with his whole handsome demeanor.

Youngjae chuckled as he watched Jaeyoon pull the detective away, the two of them squeezing through the crowd, passing the ticket booths, and finally entered the park.

It didn’t take long before Youngjae found himself inside as well, with Daehyun next to him. “So, what shall we ride first?” Daehyun had a map in his hands, his eyes scanning the endless list of attractions.

“I don’t mind…” Youngjae wanted to enjoy this day alone with his best friend, but he was distracted. He couldn’t help thinking, what was behind that innocent smile of Daehyun’s? Was he really-

“Look!” Daehyun shouted, grabbing Youngjae’s wrist and dragging him away towards a water-based rollercoaster before the latter could even register what was happening. He didn’t even seem to notice Youngjae’s preoccupied state of mind.

Inseong sneezed behind the bush they were hiding at, and when he looked up his target had already vanished from the spot in the crowd he was watching just a second ago. Luckily, Jaeyoon was paying attention and he pointed towards the general direction, gesturing for Inseong to follow.

“It’s nine in the morning, who the hell goes to get themselves wet at nine in the morning?” Inseong complained in a whispering voice as they arrived in front of Flume Ride. Jaeyoon hated rollercoasters, but he said nothing when they pretended to be casual visitors and started queuing up a few meters behind Youngjae and Daehyun.

“Should we buy a raincoat?” Youngjae spotted someone handing out packets up ahead.

“Who needs them? The point is to get wet.” Daehyun leaned back on the barricade with a cheeky grin stretched across his face.

Inseong was tall, but he still had to stand on his tiptoes if he wanted to get a better view of the two. He was starting to get tired, and he didn’t think Daehyun could do anything in front of so many people anyway, so he eased back down and scribbled some notes on his notebook.

Maybe because it was early, there were only about five minutes until it was their turn to ride. Jaeyoon pulled down the cuff of his sweatshirt over his palms, as if he was cold. In truth, he was just trying to hide his trembling hands. As stubborn as it was, he didn’t want Inseong to see him as a coward who was scared of rollercoasters.

After putting down their bags, Daehyun climbed in the log shaped boat. Youngjae followed suit, placing a foot on the ledge. The ledge that was still wet from the previous ride. He slipped and almost fell backwards but Daehyun caught one of his flailing arms, steadying him.

“They look like a bunch of lovebirds more than a prime suspect and a suspicious best friend.” Inseong muttered as he watched a blush creeping up onto Youngjae’s face.

Jaeyoon gave a small laugh in response, but all he could worry about right now was the fact that he was sitting inside a precarious-looking dingy with water splashing over the sides occasionally due to its constant swaying.

“It’s been a while since the last time I’ve been on a rollercoaster. I’ve already forgotten how it feels like…” Inseong pulled down the safety belt that locked the two of them in place, then turned to look at Jaeyoon as he felt the boat edge forwards slowly. He was surprised to see an ashen face staring back at him. “Jaeyoon? Are you okay? You look pale… are you feeling sick?”

Jaeyoon couldn’t answer even if he wanted to, his throat was so dry his tongue stuck to the top of his mouth. His eyes were fixed on the first drop coming up ahead, where the screams filled the air whenever passengers fell down the artificial waterfall.


	8. VIII. Lotte World (2)

If Inseong had known that his flatmate was a scaredy-cat, he wouldn’t have asked him to tag along. He must’ve felt pressured, Inseong thought to himself. Jaeyoon was a mere witness who wanted to help, yet he ended up living with a policeman, and on top of that, he was asked to accompany Inseong during fieldwork. What was I thinking? One year without solving a case, and now I’m pulling civilians into the water. Great.

“I’m so sorry, I really should’ve asked you beforehand. I wasn’t thinking.” They were still floating on the flume, passing through fake cave tunnels where water shower over their heads without warning. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be anymore drops at the moment - only quick turns and meandering and winding routes - except, of course, for the last big fall in the end.

Jaeyoon shook his head, trying to let Inseong know he was fine, and didn’t need reassuring, but he could already feel his breakfast churning in his stomach, threatening to come out.

Inseong didn’t know what to do. And it wasn’t because he was afraid of Jaeyoon filing a complaint on him after this ends - he knew someone as nice as him wouldn’t do that anyway. It was mostly due to his weird eagerness to please and impress this man in front of him. He thought that, this was it, he was finally presented with the person in his life who had the ability to make his heart race and palms sweat; there was no way he could screw this up.

The screams were getting nearer by the second. With a sudden willingness to protect him, Inseong dared to place a hand on top of Jaeyoon’s on the safety bar. The contact caught Jaeyoon’s attention, and he turned to look at Inseong, who was wearing the most sincere expression on his face. “I know I’m being out of the blue, but… just listen to me first, okay?”

Jaeyoon nodded slowly, taken aback and slightly bewildered.

“I know why most people are scared of rollercoasters. They think they might fly off, or an accident will happen or something. But in fact, the probability of a rollercoaster accident is one in 24 million, and the chance of being killed in one is only one in 750 million.” Inseong paused. “Okay, maybe telling that to you wasn’t a good idea.”

Jaeyoon was trying to register all the numbers and statistics the detective just spewed out, but it turned out he wasn’t finished. “How ‘bout this: You already know what’s coming up, you anticipate the scary drop into the water down the mountain. So you can prepare yourself. Like-“ Inseong halted, realizing that he had unconsciously progressed to hold and squeeze Jaeyoon's hand during his animated lecture about rollercoasters. Flushed with embarrassment, he hastily released it, and a smile flickered around Jaeyoon’s mouth.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t- I mean, I, it wasn’t on purpose!” Inseong leaned back as far as he could on his side of the boat, as if to establish the fact that he wasn’t trying anything to cross their professional detective-client line.

This actually made Jaeyoon laugh out loud. “I didn’t expect to see you at a flustered state, detective.”

“W-what?” Confusion spread across Inseong’s face. “So.. you’re not angry?”

Jaeyoon tilted his head like he was considering. “I think I should at least respect your status as a policeman, and for the fact that you chose to believe my ridiculous story about superpowers. Plus, you’re older than me, too…”

Seeing that Jaeyoon took the awkward situation easy, Inseong decided to feign disappointment as a joke. “Oh, so do I look old to you now?”

“No, I never said-“ But he never got to finish his sentence because he felt his stomach shoot upwards to his throat, and when he finally turned back to look at what was in front of him, he realized they were rushing head first into a pool.

Neither of them were paying attention, so all at once they reached out to search leverage, only to end up holding each other’s hands. They joined in the screams of the other passengers as an onslaught of moist wind struck at their faces, followed by a giant pillar of water that shot up to the sky and fell back at them, drenching them.

Three minutes later, at the Flume Ride exit.

“See? I told you we should’ve got raincoats.” Youngjae threw a bundle of something to Daehyun. “You’re lucky I brought a towel…”

Youngjae knew Inseong was a few spots behind him during the ride, so he lingered around the lockers and photo booths longer than needed, hoping the detective could catch up. Daehyun smiled sheepishly and said, “Well, you had to admit it was fun, right?” He finished drying his face and folded the pastel yellow towel neatly before returning it to Youngjae.

At the sight of wet-haired Daehyun in his half-transparent t-shirt, Youngjae caught himself staring and quickly turned away. “M-maybe a little. But still, we’re going to catch a cold now!”

“We’ll be fine! Look at the sky. The sun’s shining-“ The two of them looked up and Daehyun halted, realizing that the sky was covered with a thick blanket of grey clouds.

“Great, it’s going to rain now,” complained Jaeyoon, who was busy squeezing the water out from his sweatshirt. Inseong was just as soaked, but he didn’t let it bother him, and went on to peek around the corner of the locker room where Youngjae and Daehyun were at.

“Shall we get ice-cream?” Daehyun suddenly came up with the idea, startling Youngjae.

“I’d like to see you walk into the shop dripping wet.” Youngjae retrieved his bags from the locker and closed it shut.

Daehyun only took his wallet. “I also need the washroom. I’ll be right back!” He dashed right in front of Inseong and Jaeyoon, but of course he didn’t know who they were.

“Hold on, I’ll go follow him.” Before waiting for Jaeyoon to disapprove, Inseong followed Daehyun out, keeping a safe distance always. They turned left and arrived the nearest washroom, which was - surprisingly - almost empty.

Inseong watched with puzzlement as Daehyun passed all the first few empty stalls and deliberately went into the stall furthest from the door, its side against the far wall. The detective immediately went into the one next to him and looked over the divider.

Daehyun didn’t take off his pants, as surmised by Inseong. Instead, he pushed open the window that was only accessible inside his stall and stared out at the gloomy sky. For almost a full minute Inseong stared at his back quietly, with no movement at all. He glanced out the window, trying to figure out what was so interesting.

At first, Inseong thought he saw wrong. The grey clouds seemed to change color, fading into white. The layers also thinned, allowing the sun to peek out. He rubbed his eyes, thinking it was the side effect of drinking too much coffee. But when his vision cleared again, he spotted a bridge of seven colors drawn across the sky. This time, he was positive he wasn’t hallucinating: the overcast day just changed into a sunny one, with a rainbow and everything.

Obviously, it was perfectly plausible that the weather changed all on its own - weather these days are very unpredictable - but there was one thing Inseong couldn’t get out of his mind. When Daehyun turned around to leave, he caught a glimpse of his eyes, and they were _grey_.

“Are you sure?” While Inseong was away, Jaeyoon had changed into some dry clothes he cleverly prepared before coming to the amusement park. The detective, now reunited with him, nodded. “The first thing I thought was your blue eyes when you demonstrated your powers…”

Jaeyoon narrowed his eyes at the bright sky, as if it held all answers. “Well, I’ve never seen a person who could control the weather, but then again, it’s not like I’ve seen a lot of my same type,” he shrugged.

They were sitting at a bench, diagonally opposite of Youngjae and Daehyun, who were enjoying their sundaes. “Do you think Youngjae knows about it, though?” Inseong asked.

Jaeyoon shook his head. “If he did, there was no need to hide himself in the washroom. I think he did it to make Youngjae happy.” He nodded towards the café owner, who was smiling as brightly as the sun.

“That’s true.” Inseong wrote down some notes again.

Daehyun was finishing off the last bite when his phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but it was Minhyuk, and he dared not upset him, so he excused himself from Youngjae and stood to the side for privacy.

“I need you to come back now,” said Minhyuk, without even a greeting.

“What?” Daehyun realized his shout attracted some unwanted attention from bystanders, so he lowered his voice. “Look, I’m in the middle of something here… and it’s a Saturday!”

“And? You’re not an office worker with fixed hours, Dae.” Daehyun hated that. He only allowed his parents and his best friend to use that nickname.

“You can’t force me to come,” he hissed.

“Who’s the boss here?” Minhyuk sneered. “If you’re going to be like this, I won’t go easy on you either. I know you’re with Youngjae. He probably thinks you’re a lovely person. How would you like it if I told him about your real identity?“

“Are you threatening me?” Daehyun’s hand on the phone started to tremble, and so did his voice.

“Does it sound like it?"

Daehyun knew he could betray Minhyuk just as easily by exposing his actions, but he had no proof, and at the moment his relationship with Youngjae was more important. Plus, hurting Minhyuk meant hurting Jooheon, and Jooheon was one of the rare friends he had. “Where do you want me to go?”

“Good choice, bud. Come to my place. Jooheon will be happy to see you.”

“Wait, at least tell me what this meeting is-” Without warning, Minhyuk hung up, interrupting Daehyun mid-sentence. It took Daehyun physical effort to stop himself from throwing his phone on the ground. Reluctantly, he returned to the bench he was sitting at just moments ago.

Inseong prepared himself to stand up when he saw Youngjae’s sulky face and Daehyun’s apologetic one. Was he going somewhere? Perhaps he had to work? This might be a good chance to see what his job was.

“Where are you going?” Jaeyoon grabbed Inseong’s forearm when he saw him leaving.

“I need to follow Daehyun.” Inseong slipped a glance at his flatmate then back at Daehyun, who was already heading to the exit. You should stay with Youngjae. Don’t waste the ticket.” Jaeyoon gave him a half worried, half annoyed face. “I know, I know. But there are more things other than rollercoasters here. Do me a favour and keep my friend company. And I don’t want to get you into any danger anyways.”

Inseong started brushing off Jaeyoon’s hand, only to feel a shock of electricity run through his body when his skin touched Jaeyoon’s. He blushed slightly, gave him a shy smile, and left.

When he arrived the parking lot, he copied down Daehyun’s license plate before climbing into his own car. They drove for about ten minutes before stopping in front of yet another apartment complex. Daehyun seemed too frustrated and preoccupied with his emotions that he failed to notice a car that was tailing behind his own.

He only just turned his engine off and left his car when his phone rang again. This time, Inseong could hear every word clearly. “Why are you calling again, Minhyuk?” There was a muffled sound coming from the phone before Daehyun said, “I just parked my car, alright? I’ll be up in a minute, gosh.”

Daehyun hung up angrily and stomped off to the elevators that would bring him upstairs. It would be too dangerous to follow him any further, so Inseong hid behind a pillar and spied on Daehyun from afar.

The intercom cackled and stuttered static before a bored voice came through. “Flat and name of tenant please.”

“Thirty-one A, Lee Minhyuk,” replied Daehyun. “Hold on—“ A voice from the intercom replied. Then the door clicked open.

Under the dim light of the underground parking lot, Inseong flipped to a new page on his notebook and wrote the address down.


	9. IX. Emergency Meeting

Daehyun had to urge to create a typhoon and smash Minhyuk’s windows into bits, but he didn’t want to affect Lotte World and make Youngjae’s day at the amusement park even worse than it already was. So he kept calm and kept an eye on the sky to make sure the sun was where it should be, with just the perfect cloud cover so it wasn’t boiling hot.

The door opened seconds after he rang the doorbell, and instead of his boss, he was greeted by Jooheon. “Oh, Daehyun-hyung, you’re here already. Come in…” He stepped back and opened the door wider. Daehyun didn’t bother to take off his shoes, even though they were slightly damp from his flume ride earlier. Minhyuk was seated at the dining table, and was quickly joined by Jooheon. But Daehyun chose to remain standing.

“So, why are we here today?” Minhyuk asked. Daehyun’s minor confusion faded when he realized it was actually Jooheon who called this meeting, not Minhyuk.

Jooheon shifted uneasily in his seat, struggling to find the correct words. He finally spoke, but kept his head down to avoid eye contact. “Frankly, I’ve been thinking about this since last night… But I didn’t have to courage to tell you, Minhyuk-hyung. And I, I thought it’d be better if Daehyun-hyung knew about it too.” Jooheon looked up at Daehyun. “So, thank you for coming at such a short notice. I know you were having fun… Anyway, these are just excuses I made for myself.” Jooheon shut his eyes and shook his head briefly, trying to get a grip of himself.

_Just say it, you’ve been delaying this for too long already._

Minhyuk started to feel concerned about Jooheon’s nervous demeanour. Under the table, he placed one of his warm hands on top of Jooheon’s cold ones that were resting on his lap. This caught Jooheon’s attention, but his hyung’s worried expression and encouraging smile only made his anxiety grow.

_What am I doing? He’s going to hate me after this… No! I have to say it, I have to. It’s the only way to bring an end to this._

“I gathered you here today because I want to propose something.” Jooheon, despite still uneasy, was now filled with determination. He took a deep breath and lifted his head. “Minhyuk-hyung, I want to stop this. All of this. And I’m sure Daehyun-hyung agrees with me.”

Daehyun froze, his eyes widened. Subconciously, he took a step back, moving further away from Minhyuk and closer to his escape route, in case things turned bad. Whatever it was that Jooheon was planning to share, it was definitely not this. Not something so reckless. He hoped his young friend knew what he was talking about, and had reasons to support his proposal.

Minhyuk’s face fell, and he took his hand away from Jooheon’s. “What do you mean?”

Jooheon’s heart raced at Minhyuk’s sudden coldness, but it was too late to turn back now. He forced himself to stare straight into Minhyuk’s eyes. “I mean I want us to stop doing what we’ve been doing this past year. No more Storm Intruder, no more manipulating the weather, no more _Robin Hood euphemism_ that you have been feeding me since we were kids.”

Daehyun didn’t understand the “we were kids” part, but considering all the “crimes" they committed in the past, he caught the Robin Hood reference. Instinctively, he searched Minhyuk’s display case, and settled on the multiple donation certificates that stood proud. Stealing money from the rich and giving to the poor.

Minhyuk stood up abruptly, pushing his chair back so hard it would’ve toppled over if it weren’t for the wall behind it. “It’s not _euphemism_ ,” he snapped, disgusted by the word. “It’s justice. I thought you understood. We’re doing good to the world. No, It’s all for _your_ good, Jooheon.”

Jooheon had left his seat and retreated like a scared animal. Tears welled up in his eyes. “I thought it was—in fact it _was_ , for a short time. But not now. You changed my past life into a better one, but we’ve gone too far. I’m sure you know this as well as anyone will: we’re _breaking the law_. We’re _criminals_. That doesn’t make us superheroes anymore!”

A sharp, white light flashed. Jooheon gazed out the window, which had turned dark with thunder clouds. He shot a glance at Daehyun, thinking it was his doing, but he just shrugged innocently. When he noticed the sudden rain, he tried changing the weather back to fair, but whenever he started using his powers he felt as if another even stronger force was going against his own, overpowering him. He was just as confused as Jooheon.

Maybe he was making things up, but when he turned back, he thought Minhyuk’s eyes looked darker than usual—like a pearly fake pupil people used to make dolls.

“But don’t you believe me anymore? I taught you how to control your powers, remember? If it weren’t for me, those people who saw you as a freak would’ve sent you to a mental asylum by now.” Daehyun could tell Minhyuk was trying to suppress his emotions, and he thought he should say something, so if Minhyuk lost control, at least his anger wouldn’t only be directed at Jooheon.

“Minhyuk, Jooheon’s right.” Immediately, Minhyuk’s glare shifted from Jooheon to Daehyun. “I’ve also been wanting to propose the same thing, but I guess I didn’t have the guts. I don’t want to keep secrets from Youngjae anymore. So let’s just end this, okay? There’s no reason for us to be harming other—”

“Shut up! You have no right to say anything like that, Daehyun. It’s all your fault! If you didn’t join us in the first place and pollute Jooheon’s mind with unfaithful thoughts, he wouldn’t have even thought about betraying me.” Minhyuk slammed the table, his words coming out in a high, desperate and raspy voice, like an animal.

Daehyun stood frozen in fear, not just due to Minhyuk’s outburst, but also that sharp kitchen knife that was hovering in front of him, it’s sharp edge pointing straight at his eye.

Jooheon felt his knees go weak. When Minhyuk started shouting, something shot out from the kitchen: a black and silvery object that had flown past his eyes at high speed. It was nothing but a blur at first, but when it reached Daehyun’s face, it had stopped abruptly, and that was when Jooheon saw the knife clearly.

_Minhyuk-hyung knew Psychokinesis? He had superpowers?_

Daehyun gulped, his eyes never leaving the blade in the air that was mere centimetres away from making a hole in his eye and causing blood to spill everywhere. He wasn’t thinking clear enough to fully grasp the situation, but as of now it seemed to him that Minhyuk had hidden all his powers up ’till this point. The impromptu thunderstorm must had been his doing, too.

“M, Minhyuk-hyung…” Jooheon’s voice was dripping with pure horror. The only reason why he hadn’t fled was because his friend was in imminent danger.

This got Minhyuk’s eyes off of Daehyun, but the knife was still hovering there. Minhyuk saw Jooheon’s ashen face, and noticed that he was visibly shaking. Confusion flickered across Minhyuk’s eyes, and he finally grew conscious of what he was doing. Before anyone knew it, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed onto the floor, along with the knife, which had barely missed Daehyun’s toes.

Instantly, the storm subsided. Jooheon let out a long breath of air he didn’t know he was holding, and fell into the couch, dazzled.

“What the hell just happened?” Daehyun shouted, trembling with cold or fear, he didn’t know which. “H-how did the knife—”

“Psychokinesis,” whispered Jooheon. “I should’ve known. How could he have been so nice to me, if he didn’t have superpowers to empathize with me?”

“What are you talking about?” Daehyun leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy all of a sudden.

“When I was young, no one dared approach me because of my stupid ‘freak powers’. Except for Minhyuk-hyung. He helped me control my powers. Why didn’t it occur to me that he must have had experience with powers in order to teach me?” Jooheon rubbed his face with his hands. “But… I didn’t see his eyes change colour.”

It wasn’t a rule, but everyone they met so far who had powers all undergo a change in eye colour when they are using them.

Daehyun looked thoughtful. “Actually, I think they did. They changed to black.”

If Joohoen looked surprised, he didn’t show it. “What should we do now?”

Daehyun picked up the knife cautiously and put his hand to Minhyuk’s forehead. It was burning. “He has a fever. Do you think he might’ve exerted too much when using his powers?”

Jooheon meant to shrug, but only moved his shoulders slightly. His eyes were red and shiny, and he felt a new hardness growing in his throat. Daehyun sighed and heaved Minhyuk up on his own, dragging him to a random bedroom and throwing him on the bed. When he came back out to the living room, he tossed a packet of tissues to Jooheon.

“Thank you.” Jooheon sniffed, drying his tears. “I didn’t expect things to go smoothly, but I certainly wasn’t expecting this either. I’m sorry for ruining your date and pulling you into this mess, hyung.”

Daehyun blushed even though it was the wrong time to do so. “It wasn’t a date…”

Jooheon smiled. “Right. Anyway, I’m sure Minhyuk-hyung was just too shocked. I hope you’re not mad at him. I’ll talk to him when he wakes up and make sure he won’t bother you anymore.”

Daehyun shook his head. “I’m more worried about you than I am mad. You never know what he might do—”

“Don’t waste your time on me. I’ll convince him somehow.”

Daehyun still wasn’t assured. “Let me stay until he wakes up, at least.”

Jooheon hesitated, but eventually said, “I think it’d be better if I speak to him alone. Plus, I have something to say to him.”

In the end, Daehyun obliged. But instead of going to the car park, he decided to leave the building from the front lobby to take a walk on the streets. He wasn’t aware that his choice allowed him to avoid the detective who was waiting for him next to his own car.

As he wandered in the unfamiliar place, he couldn't stop worrying about Jooheon, even though he understood very well where his confidence came from. It was something both of them knew very well but never bothered to say aloud: Minhyuk loves Jooheon too much to even as much as graze his skin.


	10. X. Deal

A few hours after Daehyun left, Minhyuk woke from his coma. The left side of his waist was sore from bumping the table by accident when he fainted earlier. His memory was fuzzy, but it was hard to forget what happened.

Jooheon’s proposal. An argument, a thunderstorm. And the knife.

It had been so long since he last used his powers, and even then he never tried to control two powers at once. He knew he overreacted.

He was about to sit up properly when the bedroom door opened, and Jooheon came in with a cup of water and some snacks. “Hyung! You’re awake!” He put down the tray on the bedside table and slipped a pillow behind Minhyuk’s back.

“Jooheon… you haven’t left?” He found it hard to believe that even after being so unreasonable and even threatening to hurt Daehyun, Jooheon would still stay and take care of him.

“I couldn’t just leave you here. You had a really bad fever, you know? Plus, I think you have some explaining to do.”

Minhyuk looked away, his face growing hot with shame. “Is… is Daehyun...?”

“I told him to leave.” Jooheon brought an armchair closer to the bed and sat down. “Now tell me everything.” He passed Minhyuk the cup of water, who drained it in one go.

“Yes, I do have superpowers. I don’t know why, but unlike you guys, I can’t use the powers for more than a minute before I start feeling tired and sick. I either faint or get a headache or… you get the idea.” He toyed around with the empty cup in his hands. “What happened earlier… are you…”

“I’m not changing my mind. And I know you know it’s wrong to continue, so why were you so repulsed by my proposal?”

Minhyuk dropped his head. Now that he was faced with the question directly, he felt that his answer was stupid. “Because… because I was afraid if we stopped doing this, then you wouldn’t find a use for me anymore, and I don’t want you to leave me…”

Jooheon didn’t say anything for a while. The room was so quiet, Minhyuk thought Jooheon had left, so he lifted his head, only to see him grinning. “Are you serious? You’re even more naive than me!” Minhyuk blinked in surprise. “Back then, you were my only friend. You helped me go through the hardest part of my life, and thanks to you I don’t have to feel sorry about myself anymore. It doesn’t mean I’m going to ditch you like you’re some outdated instruction manual, hyung.”

“Really?” Minhyuk looked genuinely astonished. “So you forgive me?”

“Well, no, not really.” Jooheon tore open a pack of Pocky. “You hid your powers from me for more than ten years, and you looked like you wanted to murder Daehyun-hyung just now, how could anyone forgive that so easily?”

Minhyuk pushed his bottom lip out and played with his fingers like a child. “Then… what can I do to make you both forgive me?”

Jooheon pretended to think hard, as if there really wasn’t anything that Minhyuk could do to make up to his actions. In truth—obviously—he already had a deal in mind.

“Accept my proposal, and let’s end this. That’s my request,” said Jooheon, looking solemn. “If you do that, what we’ve done for the past year remains a secret, and I’ll make sure Daehyun-hyung keeps his mouth shut. We’ll find a job and make money the correct way, and live on like ordinary people. And, I’ll never leave your side.”

That did sound like a good deal, and anyone would had to be stupid to refuse. Unfortunately, stupid was exactly what Minhyuk was. “No, we can’t just give up on our superhero titles!”

“Wake up, hyung! They see us as criminals—no one acknowledges us as heroes.” Jooheon exclaimed, trying hard to put some logic into Minhyuk’s mind. But Minhyuk only looked even more upset. “…No one will know you’re the mastermind behind all of this, hyung. Except for me. No matter what, I still think you’re my hero.”

“Jooheon…” Minhyuk’s eyes were shiny. “I’m sorry for everything. But I just can’t give up yet.”

All the while, Jooheon had been patient and understanding, but Minhyuk’s capriciousness was getting on his nerves. “Don’t be stubborn! Please wake up from your dream, hyung…”

Minhyuk threw his blankets off and stood from the bed. “Hey, where are you going?” Jooheon scrambled to follow him. “You haven’t fully recovered—“

“I just—I just need some fresh air.” Before Minhyuk could walk out the door, a light bulb on the ceiling bursted, causing glass shards to fly everywhere, startling him. Blue electric sparks were still dancing in the air when Jooheon approached Minhyuk and stood in front of him, blocking his path. The teal blue in his eyes slowly faded.

“Don’t avoid me. This shouldn’t go on for any longer. So what’s your final decision?”

Minhyuk didn’t seem fazed by the mini explosion, but he stayed where he was and pursed his lips. Standing face to face with his childhood friend, he realized Jooheon had grown a lot and was now almost the same height as him.

After what seemed like ages, Minhyuk said, “Fine, I accept your conditions. But it wouldn’t be a fair deal if I didn’t propose my requests.” Jooheon gestured for him to continue. “I want us to at least finish this mission. It’s this coming Thursday, barely four days from now. For the sake of me, let’s complete it.”

Jooheon pondered for a while, but there was no way he wasn’t going to refuse. He nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell Daehyun-hyung.” Minhyuk smiled a smile Jooheon hadn’t seen for a long time—bright, cheerful and full of energy—and then started towards the door again.

“By the way,” Jooheon shouted, “I recorded everything we just said, so don’t even think about breaking your promise!”

Minhyuk laughed. “I’ve never even thought about that, Jooheonie. You have no idea how much it means to me, when you agreed to do what I wanted.” He paused. “I’m going to clean the glass up. Shall we order pizza for tonight?”

“Wait.” Jooheon caught up and grabbed Minhyuk’s arm. “I… I have something else to ask.” Minhyuk stopped, waiting. Joheon let go of his arm and looked straight into Minhyuk’s eyes. “After this is all over… um, do, do you want… to go out with me?”

Minhyuk’s eyes widened. “I—where is this coming from—”

“I know how you feel about me, and I’ve been wanting to tell you that I… I like you, too. I like you a lot.” Jooheon’s cheeks reddened, and he avoided Minhyuk’s eyes. “I was waiting for you all along, but I started to think, maybe I was just thinking too much. Maybe you only cared for me like you would to a real sibling and nothing else—“

But he never got to finish his sentence because Minhyuk had already pulled him into an embrace and sealed the space between them with a sweet, sweet kiss.


	11. XI. Lotte World (3)

It was getting late, and the carpark wasn’t as insulated as Inseong had expected. He shivered under his only flannel shirt, regretting not bringing a jacket. He checked his watch: it must have been at least three or four hours since Daehyun had disappeared behind those elevator doors, and he still hasn’t came back out yet. 

_Daehyun and whoever he was meeting aren’t going to come out anytime soon_ , thought Inseong. And even if they did, what would he do? He didn’t have any evidence to arrest them, and he doubted that his chief was going to approve of an interrogation when there was no guarantee that they were the real culprits. 

Frustrated, Inseong started towards his car. The least he could do now was go home and change into warmer clothes before he grows ill. As he fastened his seatbelt, his phone lit up, indicating a call from Dawon. 

“I can’t believe you, Inseong.” Dawon said with a sigh, and Inseong could imagine the way he was shaking his head. 

Inseong backed out of his parking space and turned towards the exit. “What are you talking about? I can’t believe you got a fever today when you were fine just yesterday.” 

“I told you—I wasn’t lying! Whatever, you won’t believe me anyway. But seriously, did you forget something important?” 

Inseong’s eyebrows knotted together quizzically, but he didn’t quite understand what his partner was trying to say. “Did I forget to lock the door of the police station or something?" 

Finally, exasperatedly, Dawon said, “I just received a call from Jaeyoon. I was super confused for a second, wondering why he’d need a ride home when you were right there with him, and then I asked myself, ‘oh god, did Inseong ditch The Witness and His Flatmate in an amusement park?’ and I realized the answer was ‘yes’.” 

It was only when another car started honking from behind that Inseong noticed he had stopped his car in the middle of the carpark and was blocking the one-way road. He muttered a curse and stepped hard on the gas pedal. “Where are you now?” 

“What, of course at home. You think I’d really drive all the way to Lotte World when I’m sick?” Dawon pretended to sniffle. “I thought you knew me well.” 

Inseong rolled his eyes and hung up with such force his phone almost fell out of the car mount. While he was waiting at a red light outside of the carpark, he sent a quick text to Jaeyoon saying he’d be there in fifteen minutes. 

\- 

Three hours ago, Lotte World. 

Jaeyoon watched as Inseong’s figure grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared in the crowdy streets of Lotte World. Then he turned his attention to the lone man sitting on the bench opposite of his and approached him. 

“Hey, mind if I sit here?” Youngjae looked up at the familiar face, and remembered that he was the person who accompanied Inseong today. Jaeyoon noticed him looking around in search for the said detective, so he said, “Inseong left to follow Daehyun.” 

“Oh,” Youngjae nodded slowly. “I see.” Then he moved further to the left to make space for Jaeyoon. 

“So, I guess it’s just us now.” Jaeyoon said once he sat down. “Both of us, ditched by friends.” 

Youngjae chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, that’s how it looks like right now. It sounds pathetic when you say it out loud. Daehyun said he had to go to work.” 

“Are you okay?” Jaeyoon suddenly asked, catching Youngjae’s attention. Jaeyoon made sure to choose his words carefully. “I mean, Inseong must’ve told you about… you know. I can’t imagine how it feels, to know that your best friend you’ve known for your whole life might be lying to you about their identity all along.” 

There was a moment of silence as Youngjae averted his gaze to the sky, contemplating whether or not to share his feelings with a guy he just met. When he made his decision, Jaeyoon saw a glint in his eyes, as if he could see through everything—one’s mind, one’s thoughts, through the sky and into the universe—, and for a horrifying second Jaeyoon thought Youngjae knew about Daehyun’s power. 

But all Youngjae ended up saying was, “I trust that he will tell me whatever he needs to when the time comes. Until then, if he decides that it is better to keep his secret, then I’ll pretend like I don’t know anything and that everything’s normal. I’m not a detective who investigates; I’m just his friend, and this is the only way to do it if I don’t want to hurt both of our feelings.” Just a minute ago, Youngjae was just as uncertain and confused as Jaeyoon would’ve thought, but after he finished talking, he felt weirdly confident about himself and his new decision. 

Jaeyoon was glad to see Youngjae in a better mood than what he anticipated. “I think you’re doing the right thing. Don’t worry, I’m sure Inseong will catch the real culprit soon.” 

“Speaking of which,” Youngjae started, looking excited all of a sudden. "I’ve never seen him bring along anyone on his fieldwork except for his partner. So you must be quite special, since he let you tag along today, huh?” Youngjae only asked out of genuine curiosity, but when he saw Jaeyoon’s cheeks flush red, he had to suppress a smirk that was creeping up his face. 

“N-no way, I’m just a witness for the recent robbery cases. Nothing special at all.” Jaeyoon laughed nervously, his hands waving to and fro in attempt to dismiss the topic. 

But that only made Youngjae want to know more. “Is that the case?” He slipped a hand into his jacket pocket, and took out something white and squarish. “If so… can you help me pass this to Inseong, please?” 

Jaeyoon accepted the slip of paper, only it didn’t feel like paper, and turned out to be a photo instead. He flipped it over, and instantly regretted it. It was taken during the last drop of the Flume Ride, when Inseong and himself both were too preoccupied to anticipate the fall, and had tangled their hands together. 

Youngjae watched Jaeyoon’s face turn red and laughed. “I had to beg for the photo, because the guy at the booth kept saying I’m not in the photo and he didn’t believe it when I said you’re my friend. Took me a few extra dollars to finally persuade him, but it was worth it.” 

Jaeyoon quickly stuffed the photo into his pocket, not wanting to stare at it anymore. It was as if he could still feel the warmth of Inseong’s hands in his own, and they were sitting so close to each other… 

“Excuse me.” A uniformed woman walked over, pulling Jaeyoon out of his reverie. “We have a parade coming up and we need to clear this area off. Please stay behind those fences if you wish to watch it.” 

“Oh, sorry about that!” Jaeyoon grabbed his things and ducked under the rope fence with Youngjae following closely behind. 

“So what are we going to do now?” Jaeyoon asked once they were far from the crowd of visitors that was growing bigger and bigger, all waiting for the first performers to come out for the parade. Before Youngjae could think of a suitable response, his stomach answered for him. 

They ended up having late lunch in front of a hotdog stand that sold burgers, fries, salads and churros. After that, Jaeyoon confessed that he was scared of rollercoasters, and to his surprise (because everyone else who knew about his weakness all laughed) Youngjae only said, “Then we can visit the Mirror Maze, or the Arcade, or the Theatre…” So that was what they ended up doing until the sky turned grey with dusk, and they sat in the observatory tower, waiting for the fireworks to start. 

“Thanks for staying with me today.” Youngjae said suddenly, grabbing Jaeyoon’s attention. “Hard to admit, but I was quite upset when Daehyun just left like that. A day in the park with you made me forget most of it.” 

Jaeyoon smiled contently and shook his head slowly. “No, I should thank you; I used to hate amusement parks, but today was fun.” 

They stared out the window, the air around them silent, but not awkward either. “That was weird though, wasn’t it? Earlier, when we came out of the Maze…” Youngjae turned to look at Jaeyoon, who nodded in agreement. 

“The sun was shining one second, and in the next the sky was covered with thunder clouds! The weather report didn’t say anything about a storm… And it’s unusual for a thunderstorm in this time of the year…” 

“The weirdest thing was how quickly it passed. After maybe ten minutes? The sky turned normal again.” 

“I guess global warming and climate change is really real.” Jaeyoon feigned shock, making Youngjae laugh so hard tears squeezed out the corner of his eyes. 

The fireworks started, and it didn’t take long for them to forget the strange weather phenomenon. The show lasted for half an hour, and when it ended they looked down at the people on the ground, who were starting to head towards the exit. Jaeyoon jumped up from his seat and stretched. “I guess we should go now, the park is closing soon.” 

“Do you know how to get home from here?” Youngjae asked, making Jaeyoon stop in his tracks. “Daehyun left with his car, and so did Inseong. I’m not familiar with the transport around here. Should we just take a taxi?” 

Jaeyoon wanted to say he knew the route home by bus and train, but the truth was, he didn’t. But he didn’t want to take the taxi either, because he didn’t memorize his new address yet. And, taxis were pricy. An idea popped up in his mind, and he took his phone out swiftly. 

Dawon picked up on the first ring. “Hello, Detective Sergeant Lee Sanghyuk speaking.” 

“Hi detective, it’s Jaeyoon.” Youngjae watched with bewilderment and mouthed the words Is that Inseong? But Jaeyoon shook his head. “Something happened, Inseong left with the car and now Youngjae and I are stuck in Lotte World. Do you mind coming to pick us up?” 

Dawon took a while to process the information. When he was done, Jaeyoon had to hold the phone away from his ear. “KIM INSEONG THAT IDIOT! Don’t worry, I’ll tell him to come fetch you. I don’t have a car right now, and I don’t think I’m authorized to take away any police car after last year’s incident…anyway! Go get a drink or something; he’ll be there soon.” 

With that, the detective hung up. Jaeyoon winked at Youngjae and waved his phone in the air. “I just got ourselves a ride."


	12. XII. Today's the Day

“After this is all over… um, do, do you want… to go out with me?”

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the image from five days ago still haunted him, lurking in the shadows of his thoughts and coming to the front of his mind occasionally. 

It didn’t help that the catalyst—Minhyuk himself—was sitting right across from him, staring into his eyes endearingly. 

Jooheon drained his cup of orange juice and forced himself to stare back. Minhyuk brought a piece of waffle to his mouth, and Jooheon was instantly reminded of the fact that he—as crazy as it sounded—actually kissed that mouth. He almost choked on his own food at that thought. Why, he asked himself, can Minhyuk be so calm about this? 

“You okay?” To-be-boyfriend asked, obviously concerned. 

“Y- Yeah…” Sweaty palms, stuttering words, palpitating heart. Even after spending his whole life with Minhyuk by his side, Jooheon still managed to feel nervous. 

“Jooheonie, you barely touched your food.” 

Jooheon looked down sheepishly, slightly pouting. Minhyuk said nothing and took Jooheon’s plate away, putting it in front of himself instead. Using his own fork and knife, he cut a small piece of sausage and held it in front of Jooheon’s lips. Then, as if feeding a baby, he opened his mouth and said, “Ah~” until Jooheon obliged, parting his lips just wide enough to let the fork slip in. 

Heat rushed from his neck all the way to the tip of his ears. “H-hyung… you don’t have to—” 

“What do you want me to do then? You weren’t eating, so I decided to feed you myself.” Minhyuk said with a humph, already in the process of bringing another piece of meat to Jooheon’s mouth. “Don’t forget, we have a mission to do today. You need all the energy you need, especially when you have to use your powers.” 

_Right, today’s the day._

Bringing that up gave Jooheon mixed feelings. He knew that this was going to be the last time, and after that he could live a normal, lovely life with Minhyuk. But ultimately, he was still acting against his conscience, and he just would never be able to fight off the guilt he felt whenever he walked into the vault, putting his hands on stacks upon stacks of filthy bills… 

“…so no one will see you and… Hey, Jooheonie, are you listening?” Minhyuk waved his hand in front of Jooheon, snapping him out of his day dream. Minhyuk sighed. “I was briefing you about the routine, you really should’ve paid attention.” 

“Sorry…” Jooheon avoided his gaze, but thought better of it and decided to give his hyung full eye contact to show that he was listening. 

“Starting from around six, Daehyun will create a small drizzle that will soon strengthen into a rainstorm, and—if needed—into a typhoon. Once the sun sets, we’ll leave from here and head to Shinhan Bank at Yongsan-gu. As usual, you have max ten minutes. After that, when you come out, Daehyun will make thick fog to cover you up. It would be dark by then, but, you know, just in case." 

Jooheon nodded half-heartedly, and glanced at the clock. 

_Just nine more hours to go…_

\- 

Inseong rounded the last corner just in time to see another car leaving the cul-de-sac and turning out into the main road. Through the windshield he saw Chani waving, and then raising his right hand to the side of his head in a respectful salute. The young officer was given the early shift this morning, and now it was time for him to go home and rest while Inseong took over. 

He returned the salute, chuckling at Chani’s enthusiasm that he, too, once had when he was still a rookie. Jaeyoon, who volunteered to tag along, had taken shotgun next to him. “So you’re telling me that you’ve been doing twenty-four-seven surveillance since Saturday night?” 

“Mhm. That night, I followed Daehyun, remember? We ended up here, and I found out he went up to flat 31A. I had to pick you and Youngjae up from Lotte World, so I didn’t have time to wait for him to come back down. My colleagues and I thought this is where he ‘works’, or at least meets his boss or something.” 

“So you just sit in the car, stare at the apartment building until something happens?” Jaeyoon had watched a number of crime movies in his days, but he never knew exactly how dull the reality might sound like. 

Inseong’s laughter bubbled up at the astonishment in Jaeyoon’s tone. “There’s no need to sound horrified; you’ll only discover even more surprising things about my job as you go further down the road. Reality never really lives up to expectations.” 

“Do I even want to know what that’s supposed to mean?” Jaeyoon shivered. “You gave me the goosebumps.” Once again, laughter filled the car. 

“I know I’m being out of the blue,” said Inseong once they both calmed down. “but it’s been almost a week since you, um, moved in with me, and I just want to know if you’re comfortable. With the food, the environment. The neighbours, even. It’s not the best, I know… and I’m sorry I can’t give you anything better.” He was aware of the fact that he had started to babble midway, and he knew it didn’t go unnoticed for Jaeyoon, either. 

_Did I really just say_ move in with me? _It sounded like we’re some sort of couple or something—Great, I just embarrassed myself._

“Oh, you don’t have to sound so nervous. Everything’s perfect, all I could ask for. I should be the one feeling guilty, since I don’t have a job and you were so generous to support my daily life up ’til now… I’m happy to clean up and cook while you work, as a way of paying back.” 

A few seconds of silence seemed to stretch on for minutes as Jaeyoon thought through the words he just said. _It came out so weird, didn’t it? Is it just me being paranoid, or did I really manage to make it sound like I’m a housewife and Inseong’s the husband?_

“I’m glad to hear that.” There was no denying the awkwardness between them, but even if Inseong wanted to avert his eyes, those deep dimples around Jaeyoon’s mouth didn’t allow it. “Your- I mean, you are a great cook. I have nothing to complain about… Speaking of which, should we eat lunch?” He busied himself with the bag that sat in the compartment between the driver’s seat and the shotgun seat, glad to find an excuse to tear his gaze away from Jaeyoon. 

Only when he was halfway through his kimbap did he take a pause from stuffing his mouth full. “This is amazing; I really should’ve brought some drinks along. Should we call for takeaway…” He turned to look at Jaeyoon. “I know a place nearby, the coffee there is—” 

“Hold on, there’s rice on your mouth.” Jaeyoon interrupted, pointing at his own face to show Inseong where it was stuck on. The detective was a little flustered, and had started to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. “No, not there, a little lower.” Jaeyoon couldn’t stop himself from giggling at Inseong’s struggle. 

Eventually, he unbuckled his own seatbelt and decided to help, leaning over to narrow the distance between them until their faces were merely inches apart. His left hand was on Inseong’s armrest for support, while in his right hand he held a piece of tissue, which he planned to use to remove the rice. 

Inseong’s breath hitched at the sudden proximity, and his eyes were trained at Jaeyoon’s, even though Jaeyoon was more focused on his mouth instead. 

Jaeyoon was a second away from touching Inseong’s face when suddenly Inseong reached out to grab Jaeyoon’s wrist, stopping him. He turned his attention to the detective. “J- Jaeyoon…” His voice seemed an octave lower than usual, and if it weren’t for the firm grip, Jaeyoon would’ve recoiled backwards in shock. 

While waiting for Inseong to continue, all he could hear was his own erratic breathing and the sound of his pulsating heart drumming against his ribcage. 

“I… I don’t know what I’ll do if you keep doing this—you’re making my heart go crazy every time I look at you.”


	13. XIII. Change of Plans

Jaeyoon stopped breathing for a moment. Without warning, Inseong let go of his wrist, causing him to fall back onto his own chair. Just like that, they sat next to each other in deafening silence for a few moments, looking away from each other, until Inseong caught something moving in the corner of his eye. 

His head shot up, and through the windshield he saw two men loitering in front of the apartment complex, while a third was heading their direction. Using his binoculars he prepared beforehand, he confirmed his suspicion: the man walking was indeed Daehyun. 

Jaeyoon followed his gaze, and recognition filled him with shock. “That’s him!” He frantically tapped Inseong’s shoulder to get his attention, already forgetting the awkward interaction two minutes ago. “That one—the one wearing that black hoodie!” 

Inseong zoomed in with his binoculars even though he had no idea what his flat mate was blabbering about. 

“That’s him,” Jayeoon repeated. “The Storm Intruder!” 

Inseong put his binoculars down and gave him a look of incredulity. “Really? W- wait. Then... Daehyun’s meeting up with him, so—” 

Jaeyoon nodded reluctantly, feeling just as dubious. “Do you think... could Daehyun be an accomplice?” 

“We can’t jump to conclusions yet.” Inseong carefully wrapped up his half-eaten kimbap with a paper towel and placed it back into the lunchbox. When he looked up, the trio was already heading into the lobby. 

Pushing the car door open, he said, “It’s time to use your powers, Jaeyoon.” 

Jaeyoon, slightly confused, just sat in the car for a while. When he finally came to his senses, he scrambled out and followed Inseong across the street to where Daehyun and his two friends were standing a few minutes ago. Inseong gave him a questioning look and he nodded, confident. “I’ll use my powers and find out whether they said anything important.” 

Without more to say, he closed his eyes, and, just like a week ago in Inseong’s office, his eyes turned electric blue when he reopened them again. Inseong started pacing back and forth, impatient and slightly anxious. 

About five minutes later, Jaeyoon returned to the present and leaned against the wall to regain his balance, feeling the side-effects kicking in. Inseong hurried over to hold him upright. “Are you okay?” 

Jaeyoon shook his head. “Just dizzy. Having to watch twenty minutes of content in fast-forward isn’t that easy, you know.” 

“Then… did you manage to learn anything?” 

“'Shinhan Bank.’” Jaeyoon shut his eyes, trying to remember. “Daehyun complained, asking why couldn’t they just meet up in Shinhan Bank.” 

“That must be it, their next target.” Inseong started reaching for his phone, ready to call for reinforcements, but paused midway, hesitant. “But… there’s at least ten branches around Seoul. Which one could they be going for?” 

Jaeyoon dropped his gaze. “Sorry, I don’t think they mentioned it.” 

“It’s not your fault; you already tried your best.” Inseong gave him a warm smile. “The most I can afford right now is to send a few teams to keep an eye on three of the nearest banks from here. I’ll stay here, keep watching them, and hopefully I’ll be able to follow them to wherever they plan to rob next.” 

“But they might leave from the backdoor,” Jaeyoon pointed out. 

“Don’t worry, I already asked the security guard to help.” Inseong glanced through the glass doors into the lobby. “He’ll be watching the CCTV. Meanwhile, maybe you should go home. I don’t want to put you in—” 

“No,” interrupted Jaeyoon adamantly. “I’m staying. I want to help.” 

Inseong opened his mouth, ready to refuse, yet when he saw the determination in Jaeyoon’s eyes, he let out a sigh instead. Jaeyoon couldn’t help but grin as they both headed back to the car. 

\- 

The elevator closed in front of him, and Daehyun tapped his foot impatiently, watching the LED display above him show their painful, slow process of ascending up the floors. 

“Ugh, how can this lift be so dang slow? And why did you have live on the thirty-first floor?” Daehyun muttered under his breath, but it was still loud enough for everyone in the small space to hear. 

Jooheon’s heart ached slightly at Daehyun’s attitude towards Minhyuk, but he couldn’t blame him; he hadn’t officially disclosed his relationship with Minhyuk, and he knew the real reason why Daehyun was angry. “It’s okay, I’m sure this isn’t going to take long, and then you can go back to Youngjae shortly.” Daehyun still looked skeptical, so Jooheon turned to Minhyuk. “Right, hyung?” 

Minhyuk wasn’t listening—no, he _couldn’t_ listen—because he was focusing on an image that had formed in his mind: Two young men, standing outside the lobby. One of them looked familiar. The other one had superpowers; he knew because of the eye colour. _Then… did you manage to learn anything?_ The first one asked. _Shinhan Bank. Daehyun complained, asking why couldn’t they just meet up in Shinhan Bank._

When Minhyuk didn’t answer, Jooheon asked again. There was no way that, at such a short distance, Minhyuk still failed to hear him. He must be ignoring the question, yet he showed no signs of acknowledgement at all. 

Jooheon thought something was off, so he shook Minhyuk gently. “Hyung, are you okay?” 

Minhyuk snapped out of what seemed like a daydream to Jooheon and Daehyun, and almost collapsed to the floor just as the elevator doors opened. 

“Hyung!” Jooheon wrapped one of Minhyuk’s arm around his own shoulder and hefted him upright. 

“What the heck just happened?” Daehyun raised his voice once he made sure the apartment door was closed tight. “You expect us to complete this mission with our commander in this state?” 

“D… Don’t say that!” Jooheon bit his lip to stop himself from continuing. 

Minhyuk groaned, holding his head in agony. “Can you guys keep it down? This headache is as bad as it is.” 

“I’ll get you some aspirin.” Jooheon started towards the bathroom, where the medicine cabinet was, but Minhyuk pulled him by his forearm and forced him to sit down on the sofa. 

“No, what I have to say next is more important.” Daehyun sensed the seriousness in his tone and sat down as well. “Listen,” Minhyuk sighed. “Remember how I hid my powers from you both?” They nodded. “Well, there’s more.” 

Jooheon and Daehyun widened their eyes, but wasn’t too surprised. Minhyuk continued. "Just now, in the elevator, I saw a vision of what happened downstairs, outside the lobby. Daehyun, that day when we headed to visit Jooheon, do you recall seeing two random strangers* rushing into your apartment building?” 

_(*A/N: see Chapter III. Superhero if you forgot who they were)_

Daehyun nodded again. 

“I think one of them’s a detective, or an investigator. He was in the vision. Anyway, the other guy I saw in my vision had superpowers, and he somehow found out which bank we’re going to. So we have to change plans.” 

“So, you just suddenly had a vision? Sort of like… X-ray?” Daehyun asked, slightly dubious. 

“I guess, in a way. But I don’t have to see through things. I can be on the roof and have a vision of what’s happening down on the ground. And it’s random, too. I don’t know how to activate it; it just does, usually showing me important messages like this one. Since I can’t control it, I get a major headache, or faint, after the vision ends.” Minhyuk rubbed circles at his temples to prove his point. 

“Okay, but then… what do we do now?” Jooheon had stood up, feeling too giddy to sit still. “Can we even succeed? Will we be arrested?” 

“Jooheon’s right. If they really are the police, they’re probably outside, keeping an eye on us. Wherever we go, they’ll follow.” 

“Don’t worry. I already have a plan B.” Minhyuk sounded confident. “We just have to change our target. I already chose for you, of course. We’re going to Nonghyup bank. The police probably spent all their men guarding Shinhan bank now. They won't know we changed places." 

“And how do you suggest we leave the building without being noticed?” Daehyun raised an eyebrow. 

Minhyuk smirked. “That’s simple. You just have to hold my hand.”


	14. XIV. Run

“So you’re saying that I have to stay here until dusk? But Youngjae’s waiting for me!” Daehyun shouted after Minhyuk had finished explaining his escape plan.

“Then do you prefer getting arrested?” Minhyuk sneered. “And risk having your identity being disclosed to the public? Youngjae will be so disappoint—"

“Shut up.” Daehyun gritted his teeth, and resolved to sending a text to tell Youngjae that he had “work” to do. _Just one more time. One more time, and then I no longer have to lie to Youngjae ever again._

Around three hours later, Daehyun found himself holding hands with Minhyuk, running out onto the main road, across busy streets and into a hidden alleyway.

Minhyuk let go of Daehyun’s hand abruptly, but kept his grip on Jooheon’s. He leaned on him for support, worn out from using his powers for an extended period of time. Jooheon took out a handkerchief and started wiping away the cold sweat that had formed on Minhyuk’s ashen face.

“I still can’t believe that worked.” Daehyun said in a low voice. “Did we really turn invisible?”

Jooheon gave him a small smile. “Did you see your feet when you ran?”

“Wow, I got to admit, it’s kind of amazing. How many more powers are you hiding up your sleeve?” Daehyun leaned against the brick wall.

Minhyuk scoffed. “Never thought I’d live to the day to hear you compliment me.”

“Hate to interrupt, but now’s not the time to chitchat,” said Jooheon. “We shouldn’t stay here for too long; the police will catch up with us soon.”

-

Inseong pocketed his phone hastily and alighted the car. Jaeyoon fumbled with his seatbelt. “Who was on the phone? Where are you going?”

“Carpark.” Inseong said as they crossed the road. “The security guard just called me. He said someone froze the images of the cameras on thirty-first floor, as well as the elevators, for a few minutes. Daehyun and his two friends probably left.”

“By car? We would’ve seen—”

“No. I think they plan to go through the carpark and leave the building by another exit, one we can’t see from our vantage point.”

“'You think’?” Jaeyoon frowned, perplexed. They took the staircase and fled down two floors into the carpark. “You didn’t say the cameras in the carpark are disrupted, though.”

“They aren’t.” Inseong pulled up a map of the carpark that the security guard had sent him earlier. He led Jaeyoon through the maze of cars and arrived in front of a glass door that looked out into the opposite side of the street.

Jaeyoon looked up at the red blinking lights hidden in the darker corners. “If so, then shouldn’t the security guard be able to see whether they went out this way or not?”

“Well, the thing is…” Inseong struggled to find the correct words. “Why don’t you just see for yourself?”

“What, with my powers?” Jaeyoon raised a brow, but obliged. Less than two minutes later, he turned sharply to the detective. “The door opened by itself!”

Inseong nodded. “I had my doubts at first, but,” He walked over to the door and tried pulling it open. “This glass door is way too heavy to be blown by wind. Someone must’ve opened it. And if you looked at the CCTV footage closely, you can see some dust flying up from the ground as if someone ran across this place. Someone… invisible.”

“Shouldn’t… shouldn't we try to catch up? The sun hasn’t fully set yet; I think I can follow their shadows...”

Inseong looked up with uncertainty. “Are you sure? You’ve used your powers twice already.”

“Stop asking if you already know the answer. You’re just wasting time.”

Inseong smiled and hurried to follow Jaeyoon out of the glass doors.

For the next twenty minutes or so, Jaeyoon followed the three mysterious shadows on the floor of his visions until they arrived a small alleyway. He instantly felt dizzy when his eyes turned back to a normal colour, but Inseong was all prepared so he reached out and steadied Jaeyoon. “You okay?”

Jaeyoon nodded tentatively and tried standing upright on his own, only to lose his balance and fall back into Inseong’s hands again. He blushed and mumbled a “thank you”, remembering their awkward exchange in the car this early afternoon.

Inseong tried to ignore the fact that his heart has started hammering against his ribs again and focused on his task at hand instead. “Did you see something here?”

“Yes,” Jaeyoon said, glad for the distraction too. “The three of them ‘reappeared’ right here. I think one of them had the invisibility power, and he caused other people to turn invisible by holding hands, but I can’t be sure.”

“So they’re not invisible now?”

Jaeyoon shook his head.

“Good. Then let’s bring you home.” Before Jaeyoon could protest, Inseong continued, "Leave the rest to the police; they can ask for CCTV footage around the area, now that they are actually visible. We’ll find out which bank they’re heading to and arrest them once and for all.”

It had started to rain so they rushed back to the car and headed back to their temporarily shared home. Inseong notified his trusty partner about their new discovery, hoping that his team could work quick enough to locate the perpetrators before they can cause harm to more people.

Jaeyoon was feeling better now, but still tired that he collapsed onto the couch once they entered the apartment. Inseong was about to head to the kitchen to bring him a cup of water when he remembered something important. He turned back and asked, “Back in the alleyway, Daehyun was there, right? With Storm Intruder?”

Jaeyoon sat up straighter. “Yes… do you also think...”

Inseong scrunched his nose with frustration. “We still don’t have solid proof, but I think what you’ve seen is enough for us to at least inform the ones close to him, in case they get hurt.”

“You mean… Youngjae?”

-

“Youngjae, your phone’s ringing!”

The young barista whipped around at the sound of his name, in the midst of serving two cups of creamy lattes and a chocolate muffin. “Hold on!” He hastily placed down the orders and manoeuvred through the tables, avoiding the unending flow of waiters who were going in and out of the kitchen. The café had been overcrowded recently, thanks to a famous blogger who visited a few days ago and posted recommendations on her website. Youngjae hadn’t even been able to sit down to take a breath the whole day!

The new part timer took the empty tray from Youngjae and passed him his phone. “Thank you so much, Haneul. I won’t take long.” Then he rushed to the storage room for privacy and answered the call.

“Hello, Inseong.”

“Do you have a minute to talk?”

The seriousness in his tone caught Youngjae’s attention. “Is something wrong?” Inseong kept quiet for a moment, so Youngjae repeated himself. “Inseong, what happened?”

“Youngjae, listen to everything I have to say before you ask any questions, okay? I’m not trying to scare you… it’s just… I need you to be prepared. And also… don’t panic.”

Inseong started telling Youngjae everything about what he and Jaeyoon saw earlier today, everything about the Storm Intruder, and how Daehyun seemed to be involved in the recent robbery cases.

Two minutes later.

“Youngjae, Youngjae! Don’t hang up—”

Youngjae hung up and flung the storage room door open, almost hitting Haneul in the face. “Youngjae, where are you—” Before he could finish, he was pushed to the side and Youngjae ran out of the café, ignoring the glances from his startled customers.

Outside, in the fresh air, it took him less than five seconds to punch in the phone number that he knew like the back of his hand. When the call went through, Youngjae felt a surge of hope.

“Hello?”

“Dae, it’s me. I, I have something to ask you, can we meet up?”

“I’m sorry, but I told you I have work today, didn’t I? I think I’m not going to be free until late at night. How ‘bout tomorrow?”

“Daehyun, I really need to talk to you now.”

“Youngjae, what’s wrong—” Daehyun paused abruptly, a muffled argument in the background filling the silence. A door slammed and it was quiet again. “I’m really sorry, but I got to go now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And then the line was dead.


	15. XV. Thunderstorm

The sky was overcast and everything was going according to Minhyuk's plan. In this black four-seated car, rented under his fake identity Myung Hyunjoo, he sat with Jooheon and Daehyun in front of Nonghyup bank, waiting patiently for the right timing to come. The radio was turned on, and Minhyuk changed to the news channel so he could listen to the weather report.

_"...a severe thunderstorm has broken out this early evening, bringing unexpected inconvenience and trouble to citizens. Following the recent sightings of strange weather patterns, the local observatory has been receiving many complaints about their misreporting of weather predictions. They insist that they are fully competent and are now investing scientists to further investigate on the so-called 'paranormal' weather behaviour. The current time is nine-fifty-six pm. We hope you enjoy your Thursday..."_

Jooheon shifted in his seat, already feeling uncomfortable in his new "mission outfit": basically black of everything, including a cap and a mask to hide his face. The new fabric was tough and itchy against his skin, and his shoes were a size too big. He stared through the veil of rain, only barely making out the shape of the building he was targeting tonight.

"We might as well start now; I don't see anymore workers leaving the building." Daehyun yawned, annoyed. He knew Minhyuk knew there was no need for him to stay in the car with them—he could easily control the weather in his own home, or anywhere else. But of course, he was there just so his boss could keep an eye on him.

Minhyuk wanted to make up an excuse to retaliate, just to humiliate Daehyun, but couldn't think of any, which made him smirk. He was about to give out the orders when—

A flash of lightning struck mere metres away the car, causing Jooheon to yelp in surprise. Minhyuk recoiled as well, shutting his eyes to soothe the pain caused by the blinding white light. "The hell was that?" He shouted, to no one in particular at first, but repeated the question again when he turned around to look at... an empty seat and an open car door.

While both Jooheon and Minhyuk, who were sitting in the front row, were stunned, Daehyun had took the chance to escape.

Minhyuk slammed a fist onto the glove box, the impact causing the lid to fall open and rebound upwards, closing it again. Jooheon flinched at his palpable anger, bracing himself for a scream or a shout of frustration, yet it never came. Instead, Minhyuk started unbuckling his seatbelt and fumbling on the lock on his door.

"Hyung, where are you going?" Jooheon grabbed Minhyuk's forearm, pulling him back.

"To catch him, of course," Minhyuk hissed between gritted teeth. "Don't start until I come back, got it?"

"Hyung, just leave him. He's a grown up; we can't do anything to stop him. In fact, if we—"

Suddenly Minhyuk whipped around and looked Jooheon straight in the eyes. "If you won't let me go now, he's going to tell his stupid boyfriend about us, and then he's going to tell the police, and then what? We're going to be arrested!"

"No, hyung, why are you like this?" Jooheon started tearing up. He hated seeing Minhyuk in such a state, so paranoid, so... out of his mind. "He's our friend. He's not going to betray us, because he promised to complete this last mission with us, remember? He left because he doesn't want to be confined, sitting in this car following your orders. Just let him be."

Then, as if Minhyuk really _did remember_ , his tense shoulders relaxed and the murderous look in his eyes disappeared. He nodded like a five-year-old kid after being reprimanded by his parents and said, "You're right. I'm sorry, I—I don't know what happened..."

"It's alright." Jooheon placed a hand on Minhyuk's affectionately. "Look, the area is already starting to fog up. Daehyun-hyung's doing everything accordingly, so you trust him, right?"

Minhyuk hesitated, but still agreed. He silently chided himself for being so impulsive before saying, "Okay, since Daehyun's ready then let's start, too." He gave Jooheon and quick peck on the lips, catching the younger off-guard and making him blush. "You don't have to be nervous, Jooheonie. Just do it like you always do."

Jooheon gave him a determined thumbs-up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and jumped out of the car, disappearing into the rain.

-

Daehyun ran out into the desolate main street and risked a look behind his shoulders. Good, they didn't follow me. He slowed his pace as he ducked under the portico of a closed restaurant, hiding from the piercing cold rain. Since the rainstorm had grew into a severe thunderstorm, most people chose to go home and stay safe, and none of the shops were open, making it look like a ghost town.

Daehyun smiled triumphantly at himself, satisfied by the idea of Minhyuk in the car, probably panicking right now, thinking that he would report them to the police and get them arrested. Of course, he wasn't about to betray Jooheon—all he wanted to do was check on Youngjae.

After trying his best to wring his shirt out, he headed towards Youngjae's apartment, holding a 'borrowed' umbrella he picked up from the basket of an abandoned bicycle.

As soon as he passed through those familiar front doors, the friendly security guard looked up and greeted him. "Good evening, Mr. Jung. Some weather today, huh?" He watched Daehyun fold the umbrella neatly and putting it into the umbrella stand. "Oh, are you meaning to visit someone? I didn't see Mr. Yoo come home yet."

"He hasn't?" Daehyun frowned. "But he should've finished work by now..."

"Maybe he's trying to wait out the rain," the security guard suggested helpfully.

Daehyun thanked him quickly and set off to Youngjae's café. When he got there, the lights were still on, giving him hope. He pushed the door open without hesitation, ready to greet his favourite barista at the cashier... only to find an unfamiliar face smiling back at him. "Sorry sir, we just made the last order ten minutes ago. We're about to close..."

"No, it's okay. Is Youngjae here?"

The young worker, wearing a name tag that read _Haneul_ , narrowed his eyes at Daehyun. "Who's asking?"

"I, uh... I'm a... friend?" Daehyun wanted to punch himself for sounding so suspicious, but he seriously found it difficult—and slightly painful—that their status still remains friends after so many years.

"O...kay. You don't exactly sound convincing, but even if I wanted to, I can't tell you where Youngjae went, sorry."

"What? Why?"

"Because I don't know." Hanuel crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "After he received a call he ran out and never came back."

"Do you know when this was? Where did he go? Who called him?" Daehyun unconsciously leaned over the counter, closer and closer towards Haneul, who was backing away defensively.

"Whoa, whoa. Don't start interrogating me! If there's anyone who's totally clueless about Youngjae's personal life, that would be me. I _genuinely, sincerely, promise_ that I have no idea what the answers to all three of your questions are, okay?"

Daehyun groaned and collapsed into the nearest chair. He tried calling Youngjae, but both times he didn't pick up. It was really starting to worry him. The last customers left the café, leaving him alone with the last worker, who was currently cleaning the tables.

"Ugh, where is he? Where is he..." Daehyun mumbled to himself as put his fingers through his unruly hair.

Haneul sneaked a peek at the strange visitor and sighed. "Look, as you can tell it's way past our closing time, but if it's true that you're Youngjae's friend..." He sighed again, thinking to himself, _I can't believe I'm doing this._ "How about I treat you to a cup of chocolate?"

Daehyun looked up and for a second almost accepted the very tempting offer, except his phone started ringing suddenly, diverting his attention once again.

**Incoming call**

YOUNGJAE ♥︎♥︎♥︎

He reached for the phone on the table so fast that he almost swept it onto the floor instead. Holding it steady with his other hand, he brought it close to his ear hastily. But he only barely managed to pronounce the "Y" of "Youngjae" before the person on the other side interrupted him.

"This is Sleepy Seoul Bar. Do you know the owner of this phone?"

The stranger's voice caught Daehyun off guard and he stumbled over his words. "Y- Yes. Youngjae is my friend. What's going on...?"

"Your friend is really drunk and we need someone to pick him up."


	16. XVI. Fog

Inseong could almost doze off while waiting for his coffee to finish brewing, but Jaeyoon woke him up with a shout from the living room. “Someone’s calling you!” He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, took his phone from Jaeyoon’s hands, and stared at the too-bright screen. Dawon was calling. 

“We found them, Inseong.” 

Inseong might had been half-asleep, hence explaining why he had no idea what his partner was talking about. “Huh?” 

“WE FOUND THEM. STORM INTRUDER. THE ROBBERS. ARE YOU DEAF?” 

The detective winced at the pain in his eardrums, holding the phone away from his ear. “Jeez, you didn’t have to shout. I knew what you said the first time, it just didn’t make sense to me without any context.” He rolled his eyes, even though Dawon wouldn’t be able to see. 

“Ugh, seriously? I thought after all these years of working together we’d be able to read each other’s minds by now.” The coffee machine stopped whirring, and Jaeyoon took the steaming mug of black coffee towards Inseong, who had sat down at the dining table. He mouthed a Thank You and Jaeyoon replied with Speaker?, to which Inseong agreed, turning on the speaker on his phone so both of them could listen. 

Dawon continued. “Anyway. We tracked them down using footage from dash cams of cars that were parked near that alley you told us about. We found a suspicious car parked outside Nonghyup bank—I’m currently calling for reinforcements to surround the perimeters.” 

“Nonghyup bank?” Inseong and Jaeyoon exchanged glances, both of the same degree of bewilderment. 

“Yeah, I was the first one to get there, but Chani arrived a few minutes ago. The rest are on their way. You coming?” 

Before Inseong could answer, Jaeyoon placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. In a low voice he said, “Hold on. If they’re at Nonghyup bank now, does that mean they’re no longer going to Shinhan? Why did they change targets?” 

“Are you trying to say... that they _knew_ the police was already on their tail?” Inseong sat up straighter, alert. “How did they find out?” 

“Hello? Are you still listening? Is that Jaeyoon you’re talking to?” Dawon’s voice interrupted their conversation, and Inseong and Jaeyoon turned their heads towards the abandoned phone on the table. 

“Dawon, tell the others to turn back. We can’t let them know the police are spying on them now.” 

“What? What are you saying?” Dawon’s voice grew louder, incredulous. 

“I don’t have time to explain everything, but if we seal off the area now, we’re only alerting the perpetrators. They are going to run, and we’ll end up not having any evidence to arrest them again. We have to let them succeed first, and then catch them red-handed.” 

A few seconds of silence seemed to stretch on for minutes as Dawon considered. Finally, he said, “You better be right about this. I’m going to call off the backups, but on one condition.” Inseong held his breath. “Don’t even think about leaving me out on this. If you get to arrest a big time criminal and get a promotion, I do, too.” 

Inseong let out a half-snort, half-laugh. “Alright, alright. I’ll see you there in ten minutes. Make sure to be as discreet as possible, and call me immediately if anything big happens.” 

At that, he hung up and drained the whole cup of coffee in one go. He didn’t even have to turn around; he already knew Jaeyoon was putting on his shoes, ready to leave together. Of course, there was no way he could be left out. 

Under the streaks of lightning and the booming thunder, Inseong’s car arrived at a vantage point, concealed behind shrubs and trees. Dawon was a few hundred metres away from them, also keeping an eye on the looming building ahead. They were just in time to see the first movements coming from that suspicious black car—containing Storm Intruder and his companions—that was parked across the road. 

A passenger door opened and a dark figure stepped out, barely visible in the rain. It seemed to loiter for a bit, perhaps waving or talking to another person in the car—the driver. Inseong tried using his binoculars, but before he could even adjust the lens correctly, the mysterious person had already disappeared into a back door of the bank. 

\- 

Minhyuk glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Then he pressed down the earpiece he was wearing and said, “Jooheon, you have two minutes left. What’s the progress?” 

“I’m coming down the last flight of stairs. I’ll make it, don’t worry.” With a bag full of bills and gold, it wasn’t easy to move swiftly. “How’s it going outside?” 

Minhyuk leaned back in his chair. “Well, at least Daehyun’s doing his job. The area’s fogging up. In half a minute or so, it’s going to be so foggy out here that you wouldn’t be able to tell where you’re heading. When you leave the building, just walk straight, and you’ll get to the car.” 

“Okay. I’m at the door now.” Jooheon cautiously pushed open the backdoor and stepped out into the rain. His whole body was instantly soaked, but he couldn’t run, not with such a heavy burden on his back, not when all he could see was white fog around him. Instead, he slowly walked forward in a straight line like Minhyuk told him to. 

He was almost halfway there when he caught some movement in the corner of his eye. He would’ve heard something, too, if it weren’t for the heavy raindrops crashing onto the floor constantly. He halted and whipped his head to his right. A greyish silhouette appeared behind the thick fog, and it was growing bigger at the moment. Someone was walking towards him. 

Minhyuk must’ve seen it too and shouted, “Quick, Jooheon, get in the car now! I’ll take care of him.” 

Jooheon picked up his speed, and so did his heart. He kept progressing forwards, but his eyes never left the silhouette. As soon as Minhyuk finished the word “him” in his sentence, the shadow’s feet left the floor, and his whole body was flung up into the sky at an impossible speed. 

_D- Did Minhyuk-hyung do that?_ A scream and a thud confirmed his thoughts. Minhyuk just used his psychokinetic powers to “take care” of that person. Jooheon froze up, too frightened to move. He never imagined that Minhyuk would have the ability—both physically and mentally—to hurt someone like this. All of a sudden, he was reminded of the day when Minhyuk tried to threaten Daehyun with a knife. Jooheon trembled. 

“Jooheon, where are you?” Minhyuk’s voice through the earpiece pulled him back to reality. Jooheon replied weakly, hoping that Minhyuk wouldn’t notice the terror in his words. Then he started towards the car once again. 

\- 

A while ago. 

As expected by Inseong, it only took ten minutes before the back door opened again, and the alleged Storm Intruder stepped out into the rain with a full backpack—his loot—slung across his shoulder. 

Static came through his walkie talkie, followed by Dawon’s excited voice. “He’s out! Let’s go get him!” 

“Wait—” Inseong thought something wasn’t right; it all felt too easy. But his inexperienced partner already left his car and was crossing the wide road to the other side. Cursing under his breath, Inseong scrambled out of his own car, making sure to check whether his gun was in its holster. “Jaeyoon, you should stay here. We’ll be back soon." 

The detective didn’t even wait for his reply before running towards the direction he saw Dawon go. He only just started crossing the road when he paused, involuntarily. The view in front of him was getting blurrier at the moment, and it wasn’t just the rain. Fog was starting to build up, and soon the visibility dropped down to less than a meter. There was practically a white wall standing between him and everything else across the road: Dawon, the bank, Storm Intruder. 

Desperate, he pushed the button on his walkie talkie. “Dawon, where are you? Stop moving, stay where you are. It’s too foggy—” 

“I’m… other side of the road, I can’t hear… Where… you?” Dawon’s voice barely came through. “Inseong… I think I... something. ...shadow, ...Intrud...” 

All of a sudden Dawon stopped talking. There was only static. Inseong called his name a few more times, but no reply came through the white wall. Deciding to take the risk, Inseong stepped forward— 

An ear-piercing shout, like an animal crying in agony, coming not from the walkie talkie, but from the real world, forced Inseong to stop. His eyes widened in shock. He shouted to the air in front of him. “Dawon! Dawon, do you hear me?” 

For a while, there was no sound. Then, there was a distant thud. Fear of his friend in danger almost caused Inseong to drop his walkie talkie. “Officer Kang, do you hear me?” 

“Yes.” Chani, who was still sitting in his police car, replied immediately. 

“Detective Lee is in trouble. Call an ambulance and ask for back up, now.” 

“Yes, sir.” Chani was taken aback, but he knew what to do. 

Meanwhile, Inseong took out his pistol. He looked straight ahead, ready to confront the thick wall of fog in front of him. However, he only took one step forward before something weird happened. The whiteness around him seemed to fade, and just as quickly as it appeared, the fog dissipated into nothing. The rain, miraculously, stopped too. The chilly temperature warmed up, and if it were still morning, Inseong was sure the sun would be shining brightly. 

Inseong’s grip on his gun tightened as everything came into view. A man in all-black was heading towards a car, and Dawon laid, unconscious, on the floor next to the wheel, with blood pooling around his head.


	17. XVII. Drunk

Surprisingly, even under this weather, Sleepy Seoul wasn’t as empty as Daehyun thought. Most of the customers were too drunk to even notice the chaotic thunderstorm outside the bar.

Before he went in, he had checked the time on his wristwatch, and barely remembered about his task—to create a thick wall of fog around the perimeters of Nonghyup bank. So, with urgency and hoping he wasn’t late, Daehyun looked up to the sky and concentrated on his powers. It took longer, since he was far away from the actual bank, but eventually the weather was altered and his grey eyes turned back into a normal brown colour.

The bartender looked up as Daehyun stepped into the dimly lit room. “Welcome.” But Daehyun was too busy looking for Youngjae to acknowledge his greeting. After a while of scanning the perimeters of the bar, he realized there were several floors to this structure, and resorted to ask for help instead.

“Excuse me, I came after receiving a phone call…”

“Ah, you’re… Youngjae’s friend, right?” The same bartender came out from behind the counter. “We had to bring him upstairs to a more isolated room, because he was starting to disturb the other customers. Also, he used up all his money but kept asking for more, that’s why we resolved to calling you.”

Daehyun nodded, somewhat impatiently. “Can you show me where he is now?”

Soon, he found himself walking up the stairs into a more spacious part of the bar that has less furnishing, as if the place was still under renovation. In one of the far corners, sitting alone at a table, was no one other than Yoo Youngjae.

“He’s calmed down now, compared to earlier. Probably exhausted his own body with all that alcohol.” The bartender sighed, sounding relieved. A moment later, he was summoned back downstairs, leaving Daehyun with Youngjae on the second floor.

Cautiously, Daehyun approached his drunk friend. He was sprawled on the table, seemingly asleep. With minimal noise, Daehyun pulled out a chair from under the table and sat down, afraid to wake him up.

Unfortunately, it was still enough to startle Youngjae, causing him to whip his head up abruptly. He squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the face in front of him under the weak lighting. His words were slurred, but Daehyun was able to make out the approximate meaning based on his tone. “Who… who are you?"

“Youngjae, you’ve had too much.” Daehyun frowned slightly. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you touch alcohol before. What's wrong?”

Daehyun didn’t really expect an answer from someone so drunk, but he certainly didn’t expect anything like what happened next, either.

Youngjae shot up from his seat, his stool toppling over with a loud thud. Then he walked over to where Daehyun sat and started shouting at him incoherently, while simultaneously hitting him on the arm, chest, and shoulder.

“Youngjae! Stop! It’s me, Daehyun!” Daehyun attempted to grab ahold of Youngjae’s frantic hands, but they were moving too quickly, and his punches actually hurt. At that time, he didn’t recognize the man in front of him. It was as if a lunatic had abducted the angel-like Youngjae and assumed his identity, now thrashing out at Daehyun mercilessly.

Daehyun managed to leave his seat and escape the punching, but it was only for a short moment before Youngjae caught up and continued with his assault. “Tell me it’s a lie. Tell me! Tell me it’s not true…” This was the first clear sentence that came out of Youngjae’s mouth, even if his voice was coarse from screaming so much previously.

“Tell you what? Youngjae, you have to calm down. Stop.” With a voice he didn’t know he owned, Daehyun ordered. But Youngjae didn’t seem to acknowledge the words and continued throwing punches.

A sudden impulse caused Daehyun to fight back. He grabbed both of Youngjae’s arms with a death grip and pushed him backwards until his body hit the wall with a loud thud. Youngjae, fazed, stopped resisting for a moment.

Daehyun instantly regretted his actions. _It must’ve hurt. I just hurt Youngjae. What’s wrong with me?_

For a while, they stayed in that position—Youngjae with his back to the wall and Daehyun just inches in front of him. Daehyun was about to apologize, but something changed in Youngjae’s eyes that made him hesitate. They were no longer filled with hatred, but replaced with disappointment.

Then, without warning, Youngjae burst out crying. With his hands still pinned on either side of his ears, he couldn’t wipe away the river of tears that was flowing uncontrollably down his face. He was already out of breath from shouting earlier, but now he felt almost suffocated.

Daehyun, greatly taken aback, faltered. “Y-Youngjae? Please don’t do this—talk to me.” He let go of Youngjae’s hands and gave him some breathing space.

A minute passed before Youngjae was calm enough to talk. “After I r, received that phone call, I c, came here immediately,” he said between hiccups. “D, do you know w, why?”

Daehyun stared back into Youngjae’s eyes, which were now swollen like walnuts. He didn’t know what ‘phone call’ he was referring to, but he knew it wasn’t the time to ask.

After seeing Daehyun shake his head, Youngjae laughed, somewhat mockingly. “To get drunk. I wanted to believe that it’s impossible for you to lie to my face for the past year without me noticing, but just in case. Just in case everything’s true and you’re really who they say you are, then I’ve got to finish something before you leave my side forever.”

Once again, Daehyun was clueless about what Youngjae just said. But he waited patiently for Youngjae to finish.

“And to do that, I need courage. That’s why…” Youngjae paused, reaching for the last bottle on the table and drained it. “…I had to drink some.”

Before Daehyun could even ask what Youngjae needed courage for, he was struck by a second round of shock within the span of less than ten minutes.

Right after Youngjae threw the empty bottle on the ground, he took a step towards Daehyun, wrapped his arms around his neck, pulled their faces together and gently touched his lips with his own, sealing the already small distance between them.

Daehyun wanted to take a step backwards when that happened, but Youngjae had a strong grip on his neck and, frankly, he didn’t really want this moment to end that quickly. He knew he shouldn’t be taking advantage of this situation, especially when Youngjae is evidently angry at him for some reason. But there was no way he could stop now, when his dream of kissing those soft lips finally came true.

Gingerly, he put his arms around Youngjae’s waist and pulled him closer. Youngjae, surprised, parted his lips a little. The air around them definitely grew hotter, and Daehyun’s heart beat faster.

Sadly, good things never last. Daehyun suddenly felt a tingling sensation at the back of his mind, like a warning of some sort. It was growing more and more prominent with time, but Daehyun ignored it, thinking it was nothing.

The customers on the floor below them looked up from their empty cups, confused by the sudden silence around them. Through the window, they saw that it was no longer pouring.

What Daehyun didn’t realize was that he had accidentally allowed his emotions to dominate over his powers. Unknowingly, he had lost control over the weather conditions around him, including Nonghyup bank. The storm subsided, the rain stopped, and the fog dissipated. The mild weather only lasted for a few minutes, but it was already enough for Inseong, who was outside the bank, to take a good look at the faces of the two perpetrators.


	18. XVIII. Escape

“Police. Drop your weapons and put your hands behind your head.” Inseong aimed his gun in between Minhyuk and Jooheon, suppressing his urge to run to his injured colleague.

Jooheon slipped a glance at Minhyuk, waiting for some sort of approval or instruction, but got nothing in return. Instead, Minhyuk smiled and leaned against the car door. “I get you’re trying to serve justice here , detective. But is it right to so easily accuse us of owning weapons?”

Inseong’s grip on the gun tightened, now fully pointing the nozzle at Minhyuk. “You’re found next to an unconscious man who is hurt by an unusual incident. I need you to come with me to the police station to aid the police in further investigation.”

Now that the fog cleared, Jaeyoon was able to see the three figures standing across the road. Of course, he couldn’t hear anything that Inseong had said, but he had a general picture of what was going on. The wailing of sirens approached—the back up that Inseong called for must had arrived. Jaeyoon let out a sigh of relief, and stepped out of the car.

When he saw that it was only an ambulance that came, he understood that Dawon must’ve been hurt. Officer Kang spotted him and ran over. “Mr. Lee! I think it’d be best if you stayed inside the car. I’ll ask someone to take you somewhere safe—”

“No,” Jaeyoon interrupted. He surprised himself with the calmness in his tone. “I need to know what’s going on. What happened? I didn’t hear gunshots or anything; did something happen to Dawon?”

“I’m sorry, but as you’ve also noticed, the whole area was covered in thick fog just now. No one saw anything, and Detective Kim didn’t exactly fill me in on the details. He only sounded desperate, urgent, and slightly scared, too.” Something cackled over his walkie-talkie. “I think I better respond. The police reinforcements must be coming in. Stay put, okay? Don’t cross the road.”

Jaeyoon crossed the road.

He knew this wasn’t an ordinary case. If his speculations about Daehyun having superpowers were true, and he really was an accomplice of Storm Intruder, then there was a big chance that the two perpetrators that Inseong was currently confronting also had superpowers. And if they really do, then the petty gun in Inseong’s hands wasn’t going to help. Jaeyoon had to warn Inseong.

While Chani was busily shouting over his walkie-talkie, Jaeyoon saw his chance. Instead of going straight forward, however, he ran to the far right where there was an intersection and crossed the road there. That way, Storm Intruder and his driver wouldn’t be able to see him coming. Once Jaeyoon was on the other side of the road, he hid within the trees and bushes that stood in between him and Inseong.

“I’ll say this one more time. Put your hands in the air,” commanded Inseong. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see Jooheon, still as a statue.

“What if I don’t want to?” Minhyuk straightened up and took a step backwards, his hands still hidden behind his body.

Inseong pulled the trigger. “If you move one more step, I’ll shoot.”

A gust of wind blew past, rustling the leaves and bringing a metallic smell with it. Jaeyoon peeked through the branches and saw Dawon lying on the floor next to the front wheel of the black car. He covered his mouth to hold in his gasp, but couldn’t look away. The hair on the back of Dawon’s head was sticky with blood, which was creating a stream on the concrete floor, slowly flowing towards Jaeyoon…

A sudden movement caught his eyes: Dawon’s leg twitched. He was still alive! Further observation told Jaeyoon that Dawon was trying to move somewhere… towards the bushes, maybe? Jaeyoon shifted towards his right to get a better vantage point. Here, he realized what Dawon was trying to do. The detective had a pen in his hands—he was trying to puncture the tyre so the robbers wouldn’t be able to escape!

With the speed of a turtle, Minhyuk took his hands out and lifted them to the air. “Whoa, let’s calm down. I was just joking. See? No weapons.”

Meanwhile, Jooheon’s shoulders were getting sore from carrying the heavy loot on his back for a long period of time. Since he was heading towards the car when the detective stopped them, he was still facing Minhyuk, frozen in place and too scared to move. It was obvious that Minhyuk was playing a game with the detective. But certainly he should understand that it wasn’t the time to play around now! Jooheon so badly wanted to say something, but Minhyuk never once turned to look at him.

So, his eyes wandered to the car instead. While I still have some energy left, Jooheon thought to himself, I should seize this opportunity to make use of my powers. By starting up the car now, he was sure it would baffle the detective and distract him. From there, he would think of an escape route and run away with Minhyuk, before the police backup can arrive.

Realizing that there was no time to hesitate, Jooheon took a deep breath and concentrated. A teal blue colour suffused his iris, and the headlights of the car suddenly switched on, blinding Inseong. Flustered, he aimed his gun towards the car and shouted, “Who’s there?”

Minhyuk whipped his head to his right and locked eyes with Jooheon. Dawon dropped his pen, taken aback. Jaeyoon seemed to be the only one unfazed, for he witnessed the change in Jooheon’s eyes and confirmed his suspicions that he possessed superpowers.

The engine started up with a roar. Everything that happened next looked like a slow motion film to Jooheon. The car surged forwards—much faster than what Jooheon had planned—and headed straight for Inseong. Jooheon shouted as a shadow jumped out from the bushes and pushed Inseong out of the car’s path just in time. He almost fainted, horrified by the thought that he had almost ran someone over.

Inseong was surprised to find Jaeyoon on top of him, but he had no time to ask why. They both pushed themselves off the ground and stood up. Luckily, Inseong had a firm grip and his pistol was still in his hands.

But it wasn’t over. The sound of tyres rubbing against concrete pulled Jooheon out of his shock. The car was turning towards the detective, preparing to run him over again. That was when Jooheon realized it wasn’t _his_ doing at all. He turned to look at Minhyuk. Although it was dark, and there was no way to see whether Minhyuk’s eyes changed from brown to black, Jooheon knew it was him who controlled the car.

Desperate, Jooheon tried to think of a solution. His abilities would never be able to overcome Minhyuk’s, so there was no way he could stop the car or change its direction. But, there was one thing he could do. He shrugged his heavy backpack off and let it drop to the ground. Without the burden, he was able to rush to the front of the car, shielding Inseong and Jaeyoon.

As he hoped for, the car halted. Minhyuk frowned. “Jooheon, get out of the way!”

Sweat trickled down his forehead and between his eyebrows. “No, hyung.”

Minhyuk was about to protest when he sensed a change inside the car. The screen in the dashboard turned on, and a message showed up.

_It’s over, hyung. We’re caught. If you kill someone now, we’re only going to get charged with more crimes. Trust me, and get in the car when I tell you to._

When Minhyuk stopped the car, he lost control over it, and that was why Jooheon was able to infiltrate the systems of the car. He hoped Minhyuk was able to read the message clearly, and would listen to him. Then, he turned to the detective.

Inseong was still in a state of shock, for he had no idea what just happened. There was no driver in the car, yet it tried to run him over. He tried raising his gun once again, only to find out it was trembling too much. “Did… did you do that? I mean, the… the car.”

“I’m sorry.” Jooheon’s sudden apology left Jaeyoon confused.

With the last bit of strength, Jooheon short wired the walkie-talkie that was clipped on Inseong’s belt, causing a mini spark and fire that stunned both Jaeyoon and Inseong. At that moment, Jooheon gave Minhyuk a hand gesture that indicated for him to get in the car. He responded by scrambling into the driver’s seat, while Jooheon quickly followed and dove inside the passenger’s seat.

When the first group of police cars arrived, Minhyuk and Jooheon had already disappeared in the complicated streets of Seoul.


	19. XIX. Exception (1)

At this time of the night, even the widest roads were empty. Minhyuk flew past red lights and made sharp turns at random places, seemingly travelling towards no place in particular. He only had one goal—to go as far as he could.

When Jooheon managed to catch his breath and stop his mind from spinning, he turned to look at the man next to him… and instantly regretted it. “Hyung! I- Is that blood?” Sure enough, a trickle flowed down the corner of Minhyuk’s mouth. “Hyung, it’s not a wound on your lip, is it?”

Minhyuk breathed heavily, but did not answer. Jooheon grew desperate. “Hyung! Answer me…” Of course, he knew it wasn’t as simple as a scratch. Minhyuk’s over exertion when using his powers must had dealt serious internal injury, causing him to spit blood. Anytime now, he would collapse into a coma.

“Stop the car. Let me drive.” Jooheon was already unbuckling his seatbelt.

“No, there’s no time.” In a weak, barely audible voice, Minhyuk said. “I know what you’re going to say next. You will convince me to give up, and say that no matter how far we run, we’re still criminals and will be caught in just a matter of time. But you know I can’t. Even if the outcome won’t change, I’ll try until the very very end.”

Jooheon opened his mouth, wanting to say many things at once yet no words came out. Defeated, he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. Not knowing whether Minhyuk could see or hear, he nodded and whispered, “Fine.”

They drove in silence for a while, the only sound being the soft rumble of the engine. It wasn’t long before the police sirens caught up, though. At first, Jooheon grew nervous, and constantly looked behind them to check. But soon he remembered that there was no point, because either way, he was going to end up in jail. Minhyuk, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered slightly and was no longer looking so pale. He glanced at the rearview-mirror once and pressed harder onto the gas pedal.

As they neared the bridge, Minhyuk’s iris turned ink black once again. Jooheon, who never really bothered to pay attention to small details, had grown more alert during this car ride. This allowed him to observe the change, too. Outside the window, Jooheon saw the flat surface of the river they were driving across. Soon, it occurred to him what Minhyuk was trying to do.

Fully freeing himself from the seatbelt and climbing to the backseat, Jooheon confirmed his suspicions: large cracks began to appear on the floor of the bridge, smaller fissures meeting a wider gap in the middle, like tributaries joining the main river. The police was gaining speed in hopes to narrowing the distance between them—just what Minhyuk had planned. Due to their constant acceleration, they never reacted fast enough to stop their cars before a section of the bridge collapsed, the debris falling into the river along with the red and blue sirens of a few police cars that were at the front.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk had already exited the bridge, leaving the rest of the police stranded on the other side.

Jooheon couldn’t bear to continue this, and wanted to strangle Minhyuk and stop the car so no more innocent people would die because of him. But when he turned to look at his hyung, he realized there was no need. Minhyuk swerved to the left into a cul-de-sac and they crashed into a brick wall. The impact almost caused Jooheon to fall out of the seat, but he pulled himself up and leaned forwards.

Minhyuk’s ashen face was stark against the dark surroundings of the car, blood totally drained from his pale lips. For a second, Jooheon feared that Minhyuk had died or at least fainted after causing a structure as firm as a bridge to collapse, but a groan coming from the back of his throat proved otherwise.

“What… happened…?” He put his hands to his head, trying to soothe his headache. When he saw the wreckage through the cracked windshield, he cursed. “Did I do that?”

“You just veered left suddenly-” Jooheon started explaining, but couldn’t continue. There was a hardness in his throat, and he practically flung his body onto Minhyuk’s, embracing him. “I thought you _died_ , Minhyuk-hyung!”

Stunned, Minhyuk laid limp for a moment. Then, he returned the hug by squeezing Jooheon tighter, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head. “Don’t cry… Jooheony, I’ll never die. Not before you, anyway.” When Jooheon didn’t release him like he expected, he resolved to patting his back, like a mother trying to put a baby to sleep.

“Do you know what’s the worst?” In a muffled voice, Jooheon said.

Minhyuk shook his head. “No.”

“My brain is telling me that I should hate you and run away from you, because you might’ve just killed two cars full of innocent detectives and broke one of the most important bridges in Seoul…” He paused, and sniffed. “But all my other organs and limbs aren’t listening, and now I’m hugging you, not wanting to leave you… it’s like no matter what happens, my heart will always make an exception for you.”

Once again, Minhyuk was stunned by the words. Now, even someone as talkative as him couldn’t think of what to say. Instead, he replied by pulling away from the hug so that he could look at Jooheon's face, and used his thumb to wipe the tears that flowed down Jooheon’s cheek. Then, without warning, he planted a light kiss on the dried tear stain, right where Jooheon’s dimples would show if he smiled.

Despite being under the dark, Minhyuk felt Jooheon blushing. Flustered, Jooheon sat back onto his own seat and softly caressed the spot that Minhyuk’s lips had just brushed, wanting to preserve the sensation as long as possible. The sudden affection shouldn’t be a surprise, but it nonetheless warmed Jooheon’s heart.

“Good, now that I recharged from your hug, I have the strength to continue.” Minhyuk winked.

Jooheon whipped his head towards Minhyuk. “Continue? We’re not done?”

This time, Minhyuk hesitated to answer. “You trust me, right? Before the police finds us, I have to do one last thing.” Jooheon kept quiet, neither expressing assent or disapproval. Minhyuk sighed, and then looked away.

Not knowing if Jooheon heard, he mumbled a “sorry” under his breath before his eyes changed again. In the next second, they were flying in the air—car and all—and just as quickly they fell back down, this time with an impact that knocked them both out.


	20. XX. Exception (2)

Inseong and Jaeyoon were on their way to the police station. After the perpetrators had escaped from the bank, Dawon was immediately sent to the nearest hospital, but because Inseong and Jaeyoon were both greatly involved in the crime scene, they had to be brought back for questioning and weren’t allowed to accompany their injured friend.

When they arrived the station, a few accompanying officers led them into two interrogation rooms where they were questioned separately. Inseong answered everything truthfully, and since he was a trustworthy detective working for the police , most of the procedure went smoothly. Of course, it was hard for him to explain that the car had started up on its own and drove at its own will in the absence of a driver, but nowadays there were many self-driving cars and the kind interrogator assured that further investigation will be held by the computer forensics team.

Jaeyoon was still being questioned when Inseong came out of the interrogation room, so he found an empty table nearby where he sat and waited. He wanted badly to visit Dawon, but he knew his job wasn’t finished—he received news that the perpetrators at Nonghyup bank were arrested, while Daehyun was also found at a bar called Sleep Seoul, and the police were in the progress of bringing him back to the station for interrogation.

Soon after, Jaeyoon also ended his questioning and sat down beside Inseong. He noticed something shiny in the corner of his eye, and realized that Inseong was toying with a pair of handcuffs in his hands. It was Detective Lee’s—it fell from his belt when he was flung into the air by Minhyuk—and Inseong must’ve picked it up from the crime scene. But what really caught Jaeyoon’s attention was the flash of red on Inseong’s palms.

Instinctively, he reached for the detective’s wrist and pulled his hand closer. “Is this blood? You’re bleeding!”

With notable difficulty, Inseong tore his gaze from the handcuffs and, as if for the first time, took a close look at his own palm. He tried curling his fingers into a fist, but a jolt of pain stopped him. _How did I not notice this?_ Then he dropped the handcuffs on the table and examined his other hand, which was similarly hurt.

“You probably scraped it when I pushed you to the ground trying to save you,” said Jaeyoon. Then, without waiting for Inseong, he turned to one of the officers. “Is there a first aid kit around here?”

Several minutes later, Inseong found himself staring at Jaeyoon, who was meticulously disinfecting the wounds on his palm. Jaeyoon’s hands were soft, unlike Inseong’s, which had grown rough from the fitness training he had to do as a policeman. He wished he could hold Jaeyoon’s hands fully in his own, to completely wrap his fingers around Jaeyoon’s small palm, to warm Jaeyoon’s cold skin…

“All done!” Jaeyoon looked up from Inseong’s neatly bandaged palm, only to see that the detective didn’t seem to be paying much attention. Their gazes met, and Jaeyoon understood that Inseong had been staring at him for quite a while now. This wasn’t the first time, he knew. All of a sudden, he was reminded of _that day_ , and his heart started beating faster.

He looked around, and noticed that the officer who was standing there a while ago had left, leaving Inseong and himself alone.

Motivated with a sudden burst of courage he didn’t know where from, Jaeyoon said, “Inseong… do you remember what you said to me that afternoon, when we were eating lunch in the car, outside of the apartment building?”*

_(*A/N: see the end of chapter "XII. Today’s the Day”)_

The intensity of Inseong’s gaze didn’t weaken a whit at that unexpected question. Instead, he seemed to stare even deeper into Jaeyoon’s eyes. “Of course.”

The air around them grew even quieter, so quiet that all Jaeyoon could hear was his own heartbeat and a faint buzzing in his ears. It might seem like their short conversation has ended, but what Jaeyoon said next surprised even himself. “Did I do it again? Just now… you were staring at me. Did I make your heart go crazy again?"

Inseong’s expression remained impassive. After what seemed like ages, he silently reached for Jaeyoon’s hand that was resting on on the table and guided it towards his own chest. “See for yourself.” Inseong tugged his arm again, causing Jaeyoon to lean forward. He understood what Inseong meant, and uncurled his fingers so his palm could lie against the detective’s chest. Sure enough, even through all the layers of clothing, he felt the palpitating heartbeats.

Without removing his hand, Jaeyoon looked up at Inseong, which was a rather regrettable thing to do, because now he was embarrassed, flustered and awkward all at once, and he was sure his whole face was heating up.

“Did that answer your question?” Inseong still held onto Jaeyoon’s wrist.

Jaeyoon could only nod. He started pulling his arm back, but Inseong’s grip tightened. “Don’t you have other questions?”

Jaeyoon’s eyes widened. He did indeed have other questions on mind, but how did Inseong find out? Was he that transparent? Jaeyoon licked his dry lips and, hesitantly, asked, “When did it start?”

Despite stood before such a vague and ambiguous question, Inseong didn’t even have to think before answering. “I think from the moment you first walked in my office, I know that you must be the person I have to stay beside for the rest of my life.”

Jaeyoon gulped, but never dare to escape Inseong’s piercing gaze. Consciously or not, the two had started leaning towards each other. When they were so close that Jaeyoon could feel Inseong’s breath on his face, he was sure they were about to kiss...

“Hey! There you are, Detecive Kim! What are you doing here?” Like two bars of repelling magnets, Inseong and Jaeyoon sprang away from each other.

Inseong stood up and turned to the doorway, through which Officer Kang’s head poked. “We caught the two perpetrators, and we also found Daehyun. They are waiting for you to give orders; should we interrogate them now?”

“Um.. yeah, sure.” Inseong slipped a glance at Jaeyoon, as if to say, _we’ll finish this later_ , and then followed Chani through the door.

-

Despite being too drunk to be qualified for a proper interrogation, the police still dragged Youngjae to the station—after all, he was found with Daehyun, the criminal accomplice. Youngjae fell into a deep slumber during the car ride, and he woke up to find himself lying on a sofa inside the station. A man stood up from a nearby chair and approached him.

Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, Youngjae sat up properly to greet the man who turned out to be Youngwon, his brother. “Hyung?” He scanned his surroundings. “What is this place? What happened- Shouldn’t you be in Jeju?”

Youngwon sighed. “I received a phone call two hours ago. Came here right after I landed.” He then proceeded to throw a bottle of water at Youngjae. “Now what did you do to end up here at four on a Friday morning?”

“Aw seriously, you should’ve at least brought me some aspirin. I had no idea a hangover hurts that much...” Youngjae massaged his temple after gulping down half of the water. “But honestly, I can’t recall ninety per cent of what I did last night—” He halted, then jumped up from the sofa, suddenly remembering. The phone call from Inseong, all the alcohol, and of course, Daehyun’s kiss. He covered his mouth instinctively, as if afraid he would unintentionally spill out the truth. That only made him look more suspicious, and Youngwon raised an eyebrow. He waited patiently for Youngjae to start speaking.

His brother’s gaze was enough to make Youngjae give in. He collapsed back into the sofa but didn’t want to make further eye contact with Youngwon, so he stared at the ceiling. Only after he finished explaining everything did he dare slip a glance at Youngwon.

Instead of immediately reprimanding him like Youngjae expected, Youngwon calmly asked, “Are we sure that Daehyun is indeed a criminal? Have the police found solid evidence?”

The question struck Youngjae like lightning, and he was stunned for a short while. He never thought about the possibility of the police making a mistake; maybe something went wrong in the investigation, and Daehyun was innocently dragged into the case! However, this thin thread of hope soon snapped apart as Youngjae thought of something. “You’re right, hyung. I don’t think Inseong mentioned anything about evidence. But he wouldn’t tell me if he wasn’t entirely sure… And it is true that Daehyun had been acting weird this past year. He keeps disappearing randomly, saying he had to ‘work’, but his work patterns always change. I don’t even know what ‘work’ he’s talking about. It can’t be his real job…”

Youngjae buried his face into his palms and groaned. “I don’t know what to think anymore. What should I do if all of this is real? If Daehyun goes to jail—” Tears started to form in his eyes, and Youngwon sat down next to him, gently rubbing his back to comfort him. “ I always thought that I was living an unexceptional, ordinary life. Grow up, get a stable job, fall in love, build a family… like a normal person… Daehyun’s been by my side for fifteen years. Just when I thought we were finally getting somewhere, _this_ has to happen to us.”

Soon, Youngjae wasn’t able to hold in his tears and started crying. Youngwon wanted to bring him home, but a few officers nearby informed him that Youngjae still had to stay for questioning later on. The brothers soon grew exhausted, and fell asleep leaning against each other.


	21. XXI. Exception (3) - END

About two hours ago. 

“Jooheon and Minhyuk are found unconscious at a car accident, and are now in the hospital. Daehyun is waiting in the interrogation room.” 

Inseong followed Chani down the corridor, but stopped in front of the door and turned to look at his colleague. “Thanks for assisting us in the investigation until now. You should go home and rest now.” 

Chani was about to refute but closed his mouth again. He know that whatever he said, Inseong would not listen. “Alright, but you better take a long holiday after everything sorts out, okay? I know Detective Lee also wants that.” 

Inseong’s heart clenched at the mention of his friend’s name, but he smiled at Chani. “Okay.” 

The questioning lasted for almost an hour, but Daehyun barely said anything. He showed no reaction when presented with pictures of Jooheon and Minhyuk, and a brief search confirmed that he had solid alibi for over half of the mysterious robbery cases. He did, however, try to put all the blame on himself, even once attempting to call himself the Storm Intruder. Obviously, he was an amateur perpetrator, perhaps someone who had the impulse to commit a crime for money. 

This type of criminal was common, and Inseong decided it would be more beneficial to wait until Jooheon and Minhyuk regain consciousness rather than trying to dig for more information from a loosely involved accomplice like Daehyun. 

Inseong watched as a few officers took Daehyun into custody, and then headed to his superintendent’s office. 

Having received a phone call early this morning informing him about major progress on one of the most trickiest cases, superintendent Bang Yongguk sacrificed his sleep and came to the police station. He told Inseong to close the door behind him and invited him to sit, but, as usual, the Detective remained standing. 

“I’m here to give a report on our current progress in the Storm Intruder case.” Despite being worn out from the events of the past six to seven hours, Inseong stood very upright and spoke with a firm tone. “We confirmed that the bag abandoned next to Nonghyup Bank contained cash and jewelry that once belonged to the bank. Multiple policemen as well as one citizen can serve as witnesses that Lee Jooheon and Lee Minhyuk are the ones who stole the valuables, and they were seen fleeing from the scene in a black car with the license plate _38-ju-4184_.” 

As soon as Inseong started talking, Yongguk had rotated his chair so that his back was facing the detective the whole time. He remained silent and never once interrupted. 

“Both Lee Jooheon and Lee Minhyuk’s wards are guarded with policemen, and we will immediately question them once they regain consciousness. After rewatching the footage of the CCTVs and multiple black boxes, we cannot ascertain that these two are responsible for the collapse of the bridge, but the nature of this disaster is definitely suspicious, and various teams are assigned with the task of further investigation on the cause of the collapse. 

“Other than this incident, we believe they are also involved in the chain of robbery cases that spread out for the past year. Confirmation for this is given by an important witness, Lee Jaeyoon. A more detailed report will be given to you later. 

“Jung Daehyun is taken into custody just now. He was found to be involved with Lee Jooheon and Lee Minhyuk, and we have the reason to believe he might be an accomplice. We plan to detain him for further investigation.” Inseong paused, expecting his superintendent to say something at this point. But Yongguk still hasn’t moved an inch from his previous position, which slightly unnerved Inseong. He contemplated whether he should mention the supernatural phenomenons revolving this case. 

He wetted his dry lips and stared at the back of Yongguk’s head. “That is all for now.” 

The silence seemed to expand and grow around Inseong, wrapping him tightly and suffocating him as time passes. After what felt like ages but was in reality only about three minutes, Yongguk—without turning around—finally spoke. “Release Daehyun. We don’t have sufficient reason to keep him here.” 

Inseong was stunned, but resistance from higher-ups to continue investigation was definitely not unexpected. “We do, sir. If you give me some time to write a full report—” 

“Can you produce a _reliable_ and _reasonable_ one within ten minutes? An hour?” Inseong couldn’t see his face, but he knew Yongguk’s gaze was piercing. 

The fact that he emphasized those two words scared Inseong. In order to really prove that Daehyun was an accomplice, he had to explain to him what he saw at the amusement park, when Daehyun controlled the weather, as well as the fact that Jaeyoon possessed the ability to see the past. Before all of this, he first had to convince Yongguk about the existence of super powers, otherwise none of it would make sense. 

Needless to say, the probability of success was near zero. Even Inseong himself had trouble believing in supernatural abilities; he spent over a week living with Jaeyoon before truly accepting this fact. How on earth was he going to convince Yongguk now? 

Yongguk sighed. “If you can’t do that, then you may leave my office now. Do as I say and release Daehyun.” 

“No, please, listen to me first,” pleaded Inseong. “If you’ve been keeping up with the progress of our investigation, you should know that this is an exceptional case.” 

“Okay, fine. Then give me one good reason why you keep insisting on detaining Daehyun. His background is clear and he never committed crimes before; he looks like a harmless citizen to me.” 

Inseong faltered. He knew the answer, but he couldn’t say it. “We can’t release him yet. We can’t let dangerous people like him roam around in the public freely until we complete more research—” 

“Research?” Yongguk raised his voice. “What are you blabbering about? I asked you to give me a reason, not to ask questions. Stop saying ridiculous things—” 

“He’s not a ‘harmless citizen’!” Inseong shouted. “He has super powers, sir. I know it’s hard to believe, but- please, just trust me. The witness I mentioned earlier—Lee Jaeyoon—he also has powers. He and I confirmed that Daehyun can control the weather, and we speculate that Storm Intruder can manipulate electronics; that’s why he was able to hack the CCTVs and the vaults in the bank so quickly without leaving traces. It’s all supernatural!” 

Inseong had to catch his breath after blurting everything out. For a while, all he could hear was his heart hammering against his chest and his heavy breathing. 

Slowly, Yongguk lifted himself up from the chair. He walked away from Inseong, towards the large window at the back of the office. He mumbled something that Inseong couldn’t catch, and then chuckled. The eerie laugh sent chills down Inseong’s spines. 

“I like it. I like the idea…” Then, at the least expected moment, Yongguk turned around abruptly, and stared straight into Inseong’s eyes. “Superpowers, huh?” 

Inseong stumbled two steps backward, utterly shocked. Yongguk’s lips stretched into a thin smile, and his eyes were a glowing scarlet red.


End file.
